Sum of His Parts
by weezer42
Summary: They say a Man is more than the sum of his parts. But what if you only have someone's else's parts to work with? Another way for Stephen to return. Post S2. Clonefic.
1. At The Mercy of Strangers

21/04/08

Story: Sum of His Parts

Chapter: One – At the mercy of strangers

Author: Squeezynz

Setting: post S2Ep7

Rating: PG13 – later R for some parts.

Pairing: gen, then stabby(what else do I write?)

Characters: S2 and some S3(Becker)but no reference to events in S3(look at the date - written long before S3 was more than rumours)

Summary: A man is more than a sum of his parts. But what if someone else's parts are all you have to work with.

Author's Note: Fourth return story – clonefic - set a year after the end of Season two. The ARC is based somewhere on the outskirts of west London this time, around Maidenhead. Written in UK English (deal with it)

Z Z Z Z Z Z

One second there was nothing and then he took his first breath. It was wet. Warm liquid rushing into his lungs, filling every possible space inside him, then it was being expelled, leaving his mouth in ribbons of fluid. He pulled in the liquid again and revelled in the feel of it filling him up. There was nothing else to feel, to experience, to see, just the process of breathing in, then out, again and again, the liquid flowing easily and smoothly.

He became aware of liquid all around him, of nothing as far as his fingers and toes could reach however he bent or twisted. Nothing above or below him either. He was just there, floating, breathing, existing.

He used his hands to explore himself, felt his face, the hair on his head, at his neck, at his groin, down his legs and arms. He touched his eyes and found them closed. He couldn't seem to open them so he gave them a hand, prising open the lids until they pulled back on their own accord. Faint pinkish light surrounded him, suffused the liquid, he could see his hands, twisting and turning them, watching the fingers flex and bend. Now he floated, and breathed and could see.

He tried to move himself, tried to manoeuvre in the liquid but only managed to roll over, after a great deal of effort, the liquid rushing into and out of his mouth in a stream as he exerted muscles never used before. All of it resulted in him moving nowhere at all, his body remaining suspended and supported, cocooned in the liquid. The effort made a sound start up that he hadn't noticed before, the steady thump beating against his ear drums, his hands coming up to shut it out, but it continued to beat, the pace slowing down until it remained at a constant beat, never varying, never stopping. Exhausted, he felt the need to close his eyes again, letting the liquid buoy him and carry him, his body disconnected from anything solid except himself.

He slept. A simple act of one minute being awake, the next not. No dreams, no thoughts chasing themselves around in his head, no worries, no concerns. Then he was awake again, his eyes opening to the pinkish liquid but this time inhabited by strangely blurred outlines. Noises seemed to be coming from the outlines, some of them appearing closer and less blurry the more he looked. He thrashed to try and get himself closer, to see what they were. More by luck than judgement, he kicked his feet and he seemed to move himself closer to the figures so loosely formed and faintly seen. He kicked again, the muscles in his legs moving in a coordinated fashion, moving him closer to the black outlines and the noises coming from them.

His outstretched hand reached something smooth, solid, impenetrable. He had reached an edge to his liquid world, his fingers splayed against the glass, appearing like a starfish to the people outside.

Z Z Z

"God, it's moving!"

"Today is his awakening day. Didn't you realize?"

"I'd forgotten. Its been so long. Can he hear us?"

"Even if he could, he can't understand us. Nothing but the most primitive understanding has been imprinted yet. He's a blank slate, an empty book. He knows he exists, but that's about all. We can imprint up to level three initially, that will give him the basic skills for eating, sleeping, moving about, co-ordination, waste disposal."

"You mean he'll be toilet trained. What about language?"

"Once he's mastered the basics, we can give him language up to level five. Have you thought of a profession or background you want to give him?"

"Palaeontologist. Subliminal of course. He won't know that he knows, only that he knows it, if asked."

"As you wish madam. It's unusual to leave the subject quite so unprepared, but you're the customer."

"Yes. I'm the customer. What about personality traits? Do I get a choice?"

"To a degree. You can't make him do or be something against the law...but there is scope either side of that."

"Show me the options, and I'll pick the ones I want included in the basic package."

"Of course. He'll also come fully vaccinated against all known diseases and parasites, and we'll boost his immune system to cope with twenty first century pollution levels."

"How did you....?"

"Please. This is a first class facility, by referral only. Select clientèle"

"Fine. How long before I can uplift him and take him home."

"You wanted him at quite an unusual age, much older than most."

"I had my reasons. I also don't want him to know who I am."

"Again, and unusual request madam, but it can be done. He will be docile, if a little confused and lacking in confidence, but exposure to society and the world will soon bring him up to speed."

"I ask you again Doctor......how long?"

"Three months. Have you picked a name for him?"

"Yes. Stephen. See you in three months then. I'll see your assistant on the way out about those options."

"Of course. Julian will be happy to help. Goodbye, its been a pleasure doing business with you."

Z Z Z

He saw one of the shapes draw closer for a moment, then it was moving away and gone, leaving behind the larger shape who remained where it was, then came close to the surface he had his hand pressed too.

He saw the shape become a body, head and face. For a long moment he stared at the shape and then pressed his other hand to the smooth surface. The shape suddenly did the same and he felt something inside him, a tightening, a squeezing that didn't stop until the shape pulled back, taking his hands with him. Then it was gone.

He wondered if it would be coming back.

Z Z Z

"Stephen!" The sharp voice drew the young man's dark head up, his bright blue eyes, thickly lashed, fixed on the man standing in the doorway.

"Yes sir?"

"Time to go."

It was the day he'd been preparing for. Putting down the pencils he'd been drawing with, he rose to his full six foot one and hefted the bag at his side, onto his shoulder.

"I'm ready."

He followed the assistant down the hall and into a lift. The assistant punched the button for the ground floor and stood to one side, not looking at his travelling companion. Stephen glanced at his reflection in the polished metal panel and hoped he would make a good impression on the person he was about to meet.

The lift pinged and the doors slid open. The assistant led him out into a foyer busy with people all walking in a hurry, the high domed ceiling stretching several stories high, drawing his attention and leaving him gawking like a tourist.

"Stephen...over here. Sit and wait."

He sat as instructed, his bag between his feet. Nobody looked at him, or even met his inquisitive gaze, their business too important to warrant a distraction. The new clothes felt odd, nothing like his usual uniform of blue shirt and pants, entirely disposable and replaced whenever he felt the need. These were real clothes, that weren't burnt at the end of the day, or taken away never to be seen again. They included zips and buttons, the underwear snug against and between his legs. It felt strange, so he fidgeted, biting his bottom lip as he wriggled on the chair.

"Stephen?"

He looked up into a pair of dark brown eyes belonging to a woman he'd never seen before. She was dressed in a snug fitting suit and high heels, her hair styled in waves about her angular face, her red lips pulled into a smile. "Hello.....Stephen?"

"I'm Stephen. Have you come to collect me?"

"I have."

He stood up, slinging his bag once more over his shoulder. "I'm ready." In fact he was nervous, his palms starting to sweat and his throat suddenly dry. He'd never stepped beyond The Center before, the outside as yet a mystery and a source of anxiety just because it was unknown.

"Then let's go. We have a great distance to travel."

"Where are we going?" He walked at her side, her heels clicking against the floor, his own feet jostling to match her smaller pace as they approached the door to the outside.

His first impression of stepping outside was one of noise, then the feel of air moving past his face, then heat from the sun overhead. Then smell intruded and he breathed deeply, drawing air in through his nose and trying to figure out the smells. The woman had paused when she realized he'd stopped just outside the glass doors, his head tilting to feel the breeze and sun on his face.

"Come along....we don't want to be late."

She started walking again and he loped along to catch up, again shuffling his stride to match hers. They walked for some time, passing buildings towering like cliffs, their top floors brushed by clouds, their glass fronts reflecting sunlight down to the road so far below and the people, who must have appeared like ants to anyone looking down.

He wondered is he should have asked her name, but he was unsure if it was alright for him to know. She turned off the main walkway and was heading down a narrow lane, the sunlight cut off once they left the main thoroughfare, the air colder as a consequence. He shivered and hunched his shoulders, wondering is she felt the chill as he did.

"Wait here, I won't be long." She directed him to stand outside a doorway, the painted metal unmarked by number or letters, no names to tell him who lived there. "Don't move from this spot." Was her last instruction before she left him standing in the narrow lane.

He waited, looking longingly at the distant end of the lane where people still bustled past and sunlight still shone. Looking up, he could see a strip of sky, the blue broken up by scudding white drifts of cloud, the sensation of the buildings moving making him giddy.

The door opened at last and the woman appeared again, looking quite different from before. She had let her brown hair down so it hung loose about her face and shoulders. She'd changed, out of the smart suit, into what looked like dark green overalls, belted in the middle and tucked into robust boots at her ankles. Over that she wore a battered leather, zip front jacket with slashed sleeves. He stared at the collection of weapons and other paraphernalia hanging about her, the pink bandanna at her neck the only spot of colour on the drab outfit.

"Do you want me to get changed as well?" he asked, puzzled as to why she'd needed to get into a different outfit.

"No need, you're fine as you are." She reached up and flattened her hand against his shirt, bunching the material slightly, whether to feel the material or fondle the flesh underneath he couldn't be sure. Her eyes met his, and this close to, he could see fine lines about her eyes and mouth.

"Are you older than me?" he asked, not appreciating the gravity of his faux pas. The brown eyes turned glacial and he almost flinched at the anger in them.

"Haven't they taught you never to ask a lady's age?"

He felt confused and wary. "No. Why aren't I supposed to ask?"

The brown eyes softened, the ice leaving them as she patted his chest and turned to leave. "Never mind. They can have the fun of explaining all those little nuances to you."

"They? Who's they?" he asked, walking beside her, but endeavouring to see her face as well, so that he almost walked sideways to manage it. "Are you taking me to meet them?"

"Not exactly."

He fell back to walking at her side, no longer having to shorten his stride to match hers.

The lane suddenly opened out into a courtyard, an air of neglect evident in the rusted metal work and peeling paint on the walls and doors. Weeds had inveigled their way into every crack and crevice, the glass in several windows cracked or missing altogether. The woman at his side pulled out a black box which she waved around, watching the liquid crystal display closely.

"Follow me and keep close."

He followed her down another narrow alleyway barely big enough for them to pass, the air feeling progressively damper and more musty the further along they travelled At a door, she paused to read her detector, then put it back in her pocket.

"Help me here."

He put his shoulder to the door, both of them together forcing it inwards until there was a gap big enough for them both to squeeze through. Inside the building they found the interior lit by a sparkling ball of light, Stephen gazing at it open mouthed.

"What is it?"

"The door to your new life, Stephen," she explained, standing and watching his face, her ennui put aside as she viewed the phenomenon through his eyes. He was completely engrossed in watching the diamond shapes floating weightless in the air, the coruscating light reflected in the blue of his eyes. He turned to look at her, his face showing delight and amazement at the vision before him.

"Are we going through that?"

"We are. Just need you to roll up your sleeve for me."

He did as she asked, wincing when she applied a sonic needle and injected him. "I've had all my shots.....what was that one for?"

"Nothing you need worry yourself about. Roll your sleeve down and we'll start our journey."

"Where are we going?" He rubbed his arm, after rolling down his sleeve, to ease the sting.

"A little history trip Stephen.....to the past."

She walked confidently into the light, and he followed, his hand reaching out to try and touch the light, but instead passing through. For a second or two his vision was filled with spinning, sparkling fractures of light, then he was through and standing on damp grass instead of a concrete floor.

The woman was standing off to the side, her hands on her hips, watching him as he took a step towards her. He stumbled, his balance off even as he tried to correct himself.

"I feel dizzy...I can't stand up." He lurched towards her, his hands outstretched as he tried to compensate for his wobbly legs.

"Then don't try," she told him, watching dispassionately as he stumbled to his knees, his eyes wide in fear.

"What's happening....am I dying?" He collapsed onto his side, his eyes sliding shut, his chest rising and falling as he hyperventilated in panic. "Help me?" he pleaded, blinking up at the woman standing over him, his fingers reaching for her.

She didn't answer, watching until his eyes stayed closed and his body slumped completely, not moving even when she nudged him with her boot. Crouching down, she patted his cheek, then pinched the skin on the back of his lax hand. Getting no response, she pulled the bag from under him and rummaged inside it. Putting it to one side, she moved down to his feet and started to unfasten his boots, pulling them off and placing them to one side, systematically working her way up his body, pushing and pulling his limbs until she had him stripped bare.

Briefly she ran her fingers over his body, toying with his senseless form until eventually she tired of it and stood up. "So sorry Stephen. But I promised you I'd find a way, and I did. Good luck."

Z Z Z

"Ambulance four five to base, we've arrived at the football grounds. Where is the victim?"

"Base to four five. We were told he was in the middle of the centre pitch."

"Right.....four five out." The driver replaced the radio in its holder and looked at his partner. "Break out the torches Karen, we're going on a body hunt. Bring the kit, I'll carry the de-fib, just in case."

"Any idea what we're looking for?" Karen asked, picking up the substantial emergency trauma kit.

"Report said he was laying naked and unconscious at the football grounds." He shrugged. "Could be a drunk or a druggie Pity the poor bugger naked on a night like this."

"Better snag a blanket or two then."

Side by side, they approached the wire fence surrounding the soccer field, their powerful torches stabbing swathes of light across the short grass of the pitch, highlighting the white lines marking the edges.

"I see him....over here!" They both jogged over the grass to the crumpled figure sprawled naked and soaked, his face and body beaded with moisture from the persistent drizzle.

"Christ, he's freezing, quick....pass us that blanket."

"No obvious signs of trauma, if it wasn't for the fact he's unresponsive, I'd have thought he was sleeping."

"Run back to the ambulance and bring the stretcher, and inform base we've found him and bringing him in."

"Right. Won't be long."

Cameron watched Karen jog across the grass towards the flashing lights of the ambulance, then returned his attention to the young man laying unconscious at his feet. After checking him over for any sign of broken bones or, for that matter, any sign of trauma at all, he tucked the blanket around the man and waited for his partner to return.

Together they managed to lift him onto the stretcher, along with their gear, and squelched they're way back to the waiting warmth of their ambulance. Once inside, they gave him another check over, but apart from being insensible, there was no other obvious cause for his state of unconsciousness.

"Ambulance four five to base. We on our way in now....be there in fifteen."

"Base to four five. Any identification on our mystery victim?"

"No I.D, no clothes...nothing."

"Alright four five....will log as a John Doe...see you in fifteen. Base out."

Z Z Z

Nick Cutter fiddled with his pen, staring down at the form but seeing nothing. He was supposed to be filling in a requisition log to replace supplies lost during the last foray into the past. In truth, they'd been lucky to get back with their skins intact, let alone any of the gear they took with them to record and research the other side. It was only because the military escort carried all their stuff attached to their outfits that they came back with anything at all, while Cutter and his team had opted to dump their packs and leg it at top speed to avoid being eaten.

There are certain situations when speed is of the essence, and being hunted by a nasty pack of Staurikosaurus that looked like bloody great Goanna's the size of a man, speed was very much the order of the day.

Which left him filling out forms to replace what was lost.

Throwing down the pen he sat back in his swivel chair and stroked his chin, his pale blue eyes unfocused.

He flicked his gaze to the small desk top calendar beside his computer screen. He looked at the date and couldn't stop the lurch when he realized it was coming up to a year since Stephen had died.

"Where the hell did that time go?" he mused, his glance dropping to his desk drawer. He knew what was in there, but still couldn't bring himself to open the envelope lying ignored in the drawer.

A knock at the door proved a welcome distraction, Nick dragging himself forward to rest his elbows on the desk. "Come in."

Connor Temple poked his head around the door jamb. "Abby and I are off now Professor. Thought we'd stop for a curry on the way home. Fancy joining us?"

"Not tonight thanks." He indicated the form still sitting unfilled in front of him. "Got some paperwork to finish up before I turn the lights out."

Connor pushed the door wider and leaned against the door frame. "Paperwork. Yeah....Abby said to remind you that Lester is calling a debrief tomorrow at eight in the morning, and not to forget this time."

Nick smiled, remembering the peel Abby had rung over his head for his last excuse for bunking off. "I'll remember. Tell Abby thanks from me."

"I will. Sure we can't tempt you to some Tikimasala or Butter Chicken? Our treat?"

"Must be paying you too much if you're giving it away. No thanks...another time maybe."

"Right. Okay then...I'll be off. Lucky the anomaly shut before those damn great lizards mowed us down."

"Wasn't it. Sorry you lost your lap top."

Connor waved his hand dismissively. "I keep a back up on an external hard drive, plus here at work, and at home, so nothings lost. I'll be adding what we learnt today to our fund of knowledge. Not that I want to meet those again in hurry..." He shivered dramatically.

"Your time in the gym is paying off Connor...you had no problem keeping up, in fact I think you managed to beat me to the anomaly this time."

"I did...didn't I?" He preened for a moment, then grinned. "Better get off, or Abby'll be sending a search party. Night."

"See you both tomorrow."

The door swung shut and Nick was alone again, facing the prospect of Lester's wrath if he didn't complete the blank form, and Abby's wrath if he didn't set his alarm to get up in time. He glanced down at the desk drawer and suddenly felt the need to get out of his office, and the building itself. Leaving the form sitting unfinished, he grabbed his jacket and left. If he hurried, he might just catch up with Connor and Abby before they left the car park. He really didn't feel like being on his own tonight after all.

Z Z Z

Lester glanced at the notification and wondered how he was going to act on it. On one hand he could simply ignore it, or at least put it off to another day to deal with, or he could bring it up in the meeting and see how the others reacted, and decide then how best to deal with it.

The door opening to let in his four tame civilians decided the matter for him. It was ironic that the first anniversary was only days away, given what he held in his hand. He waited for them all to sit, Jenny included, before interlacing his hands and starting the meeting.

"Before we launch into what will undoubtedly be a highly implausible account of the debacle involving a substantial loss of equipment, I have another matter which you might be interested in pursuing".

Lester paused, looking up to meet the four pairs of eyes. Cutter looked bored, shifting restlessly in his chair. Abby was trying to look interested, but it was obvious her mind was elsewhere. Connor was frowning down at something he had in his lap, Lester only needing to straiten his spine to see far enough that it was an ipod, the ear phone cable snaking inside his shirt to hide it. Of the four, Jenny was the only one able to meet his raised eyebrow with any sort of reaction, her cheeks turning a fetching shade of pink when his eyes met hers.

"Right. Well as I have your undivided attention, I'll read this out to you." He ignored Jenny flicking her foot sideways to clock Cutter on the ankle, his frown at her diverted when she nodded fractionally in Lester's direction, Cutter taking the hint and sitting up a bit straighter. "This was sent to me from the Central Metropolitan Hospital who have a mystery John Doe on their hands."

"A John Doe? Are we missing a member of our personnel?" Jenny asked, looking surprised.

"Not exactly," Lester hedged, clearing his throat before he spoke again. "The man in question was found, naked and unconscious in the middle of a football field. No obvious sign of trauma and no identification or distinguishing features to aid in finding out who he is."

He had their attention now. Cutter still slouched, but his blue eyes were fixed on Lester, as were the women, Connor glancing at the other two before lifting his head to give Lester his full attention.

"Why come to us with this?" Abby asked, looking understandably confused.

"It seems the man, when he finally came round, babbled about coming through a sparkling doorway of light before passing out again. Sound familiar?"

"He came through an anomaly?" asked Nick, glancing at Connor and Abby before turning back to face Lester. "Did he give a name, any indication of where...or when he came from?"

"He did give a name....but it's not one you'll want to hear."

"What is it?" Abby asked.

Lester shuffled the paper and cleared his throat, suddenly not sure this had been such a good idea after all. "He gave the name..... Stephen."

He'd always wanted to have the opportunity to test the theory about hearing a pin drop, and this was certainly one of those moments, for about three seconds.

"Rubbish. It's just a coincidence," Nick snorted.

"Surely that's all it is....isn't it?" Jenny asked, giving a nervous laugh.

"Is there a picture with that report?"

Lester gave Abby a small smile for asking the pertinent question. He held out a sheet for her to take, Abby getting up and reaching for the piece of paper. She held it in both hands, Lester noting the slight tremor of her fingers that made the paper shimmy slightly.

"It's true," Was all she said, standing frozen in front of his desk clutching the paper, her eyes wide.

"Can't be..." Connor exploded out of his chair and darted forward, snatching the piece of paper from Abby, Cutter and Jenny only seconds behind him.

"It is him..." Nick passed the sheet to Jenny, his voice barely above a whisper.

"But he's dead...we buried him...you saw him..." Connor choked out, sitting down heavily in his chair and staring at Lester with distressed eyes.

"I saw him die Lester, this isn't...this can't be that Stephen. He might have his face..but it's not him."

"I agree with you Cutter." Lester chimed in, "it's highly improbable it is the same man we knew as Stephen Hart. I would ordinarily dismiss it as a cruel coincidence, a shabby hoax, but there is no reason to doubt the medical staff at the hospital, nor is there a reason to doubt this man's story about the anomaly. We don't know enough about the situation at this time, so I'm sending someone down to interrogate this man to find out more about him, about how he arrived here."

"I want to go," Nick said abruptly.

"I do too," Abby chimed in, standing beside Cutter, her arms folded over her chest.

Connor remained seated until he realized he was likely to be left out if he didn't speak up.

"And me!"

Only Jenny remained where she was, shaking her head when Lester raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"Right then, just the three of you. Fair enough. So far, his story is being put down to confusion and possibly hallucinations. Find out all you can about him and report back to me. If you think we need containment, we'll take the necessary steps. If it's some sort of hoax, I'll have the police down on his neck before he can think about phoning the media. I want any conversation you have with him recorded, so go down to the armoury and gear up with surveillance equipment."

"I'm not a bloody spy!" said Nick, curling his lip.

"Bugs or you don't go," Lester told him, glancing at the others to get his point across.

"Whatever.....do you have a contact at the hospital?" Nick took the sheet Lester held out, including the photo.

"It's all there. Don't make a rash decisions Cutter. You're just going to observe and pump him for information. Understand?"

"Don't take out adoption papers, got it."

Not waiting for a dismissal, Nick hurried out of the office, Abby and Connor on his heels.

Jenny hung back. "Is it entirely wise to send the Professor and the others to do this? Wouldn't it be better to leave it to special branch or someone to debrief this man?"

"It's a waste of time to send anyone but Cutter and his crew. Our people have already tried to debrief him and come away scratching their heads. Either this man is the most incredible actor imaginable and able to fool the best, or he is what I suspect.....a clone of some sort."

"A clone?"

"I wouldn't put it past Helen Cutter to have popped into the future and created this thing and sent it back to torment her ex husband some more, as if watching his best friend of nine years being torn apart wasn't enough." The pencil Lester had been rolling between his fingers suddenly snapped, making Jenny jump.

"But that would mean all the more reason to keep Cutter out of this – wouldn't it?" Jenny spread her hands to indicate her confusion.

"Or it could mean that somehow, someway, Stephen Hart has been returned to this time...a twisted way for Helen to make reparation for getting the first Stephen killed. She probably didn't plan on the young fool being so damn heroic..."

"Or maybe she did plan on just that," Jenny retorted. "Either way, I wouldn't want to be this man...this Stephen, whoever he is when Nick gets his hands on him."

Lester looked startled for a moment. "Rubbish. If what I've read is true, Cutter will have the wind taken out of his sails as soon as this thing....clone...whatever opens its mouth."

"Why?" Jenny asked.

"You wait until you get to meet him, then you'll understand."

Z Z Z


	2. The Gangs All Here

Title: Sum of His Parts

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: Two – The Gangs All Here

Setting: post S2 plus a year

Rating: PG13

Pairing: Stabby

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Stephen sat in the waiting room, leafing through one of the books stuffed haphazardly into a box of toys in the corner. He'd briefly looked at the stack of magazines, but they were inexplicable to him, seemingly obsessed with people's lives and gossiping about something called celebrity, whatever that was. He was far happier with the book he'd found, the colourful pictures making him smile, one or two making him laugh out loud at the antics of the funny shaped, colourful creatures with strange things growing out the tops of their heads and televisions in their stomachs. He didn't notice the people who appeared in the doorway, watching him.

"He's reading a book about Teletubbies!" Connor hissed, Abby giving him a poke with a sharp elbow.

"So what. You probably watched them on the telly when you were little."

"But he'd not little!" Connor gave a muffled yelp when the elbow jabbed again and found a rib.

Cutter was watching the man in the waiting room with intense interest, ignoring the two younger members standing beside him. The doctor had warned them that the unidentified man who called himself Stephen, and looked like a dead man, was not entirely playing with a full deck. He had yet to be assessed by a psychologist, but it was obvious that he seemed to know only the most basic of information, and none at all about where he was or how he got there. The doctor likened it to a form of regressive amnesia where the patient went back to a childlike state, forgetting everything past a certain age because of some trauma. The only problem with that theory was the man's physical condition. Not only was there no sign of trauma of any sort either externally or internally, there was also no sign of anything other than a perfectly functioning human being. Cutter heard the doctors voice ticking off the list, including no fillings in any of his teeth, no evidence of any breakages or fractures in the past, no evidence of surgery, no scars from wounds or scratches, no sun damage, no freckling, no evidence of past lesions or birth marks. The man didn't have anything wrong internally either, his liver and kidneys untouched by stones or fatty build up, no arterial plaque, no cholesterol, no scarring on the lungs – he was perfect.

The doctor had pointed out that his blood work had shown that he'd been drugged, which accounted for his state of unconsciousness when first found, but not for why he'd been naked. There wasn't even a puncture wound to show where he'd been injected, so they assumed he'd ingested whatever knocked him out. Even his waste had been inspected, revealing only that the man ate a high proportion of vegetable matter in his diet. He had no parasites, not even dandruff. The doctor couldn't account for any of it, other than to say that whoever he was, he'd led a charmed life and was probably somewhere in his late twenties age wise.

Nick had wanted to tell him that Stephen had passed his thirty fourth birthday, but he'd kept silent.

"Professor?" Abby's quiet query brought him back to the present and the man sitting in the waiting room. Stephen had finished the book and had finally realized that he had visitors. He was now standing, his impossibly blue eyes fixed on the trio in the doorway.

"Hello."

Abby and Connor exchanged a look before moving into the room, Nick remaining in the doorway, just looking but not speaking.

"Hi." Abby held out her hand for Stephen to shake, but he just looked at it, then up into her face, his head canted slightly to the side. "Um....you shake it," She told him.

Stephen hesitantly held out his hand and grasped hers, his fingers engulfing hers in a firm grip but not moving beyond that. Abby slowly moved her hand up and down in an exaggerated shaking motion, Stephen's hand still holding hers but following her movement. After three or four slow shakes she stopped, Stephen still holding hers.

"Um.....you let go now," she told him, Stephen letting go immediately, his lips pulling up into a smile, his eyes bright with interest. "This is Connor.." she introduced the younger man at her side who followed her lead and stuck out his hand to be shook. Stephen took Connors hand and gave it a slow, exaggerated shake as he'd done with Abby.

"Right mate....that's called shaking your hand." Connor pulled out of the loose grip and waggled his hand as if Stephen had been holding it too tight. "Don't know you're own strength," Connor laughed nervously and stepped back.

Stephen smiled hesitantly at them both, his eyes flicking towards the man still standing in the doorway. The girl seemed nice, her hair so bright it was dazzling under the artificial lights, her eyes so blue he wanted to fall into them. Her companion was funny, his face changing expression every second, smiling one moment, frowning the next, only to go back to smiling again a second later. The younger man didn't seem capable of staying still either, hopping from one foot to the other, hovering so close to the girl, invading her personal space, until she had to elbow him sharply to get him to move away. Stephen watched their byplay with interest, wondering if they were related despite their disparity in looks. He knew about siblings and sibling behaviour, he couldn't exactly say where he knew it from, he certainly had no siblings, male or female of his own for reference, but somehow he understood the concept in relation to what he was seeing played out between them.

The man in the doorway was different. His eyes were blue as well, but not the clear blue of the girl's, or even the intense blue of his own. This man had eyes that appeared shadowed, fathomless and filled with some strong emotion Stephen couldn't pinpoint. He couldn't explain how he knew, but the man in the doorway wasn't related to the younger pair, though was still connected to them on an emotional level. Possibly their teacher, their leader, someone important to them.

Suddenly the man moved and Stephen watched him approach, a frisson of nervousness making his palms prickle with sweat. He wondered if he would want to shake hands too.

"Stephen?" The man had a soft accent, a distinct burr that the other two didn't have. "My name is Nick Cutter." He held out his hand for Stephen to take.

He hesitated, very conscious of his sticky palm, but took the man's outstretched hand anyway, giving him a hesitant smile, not at all sure of himself.

"Hello Nick....have you come to collect me?"

"Collect you?" Nick's sandy eyebrows climbed up his forehead, his eyes wide. He exchanged a quick look with Abby and Connor, willing them to stay silent. The situation was bizarre enough without Connor spouting one of his famous faux pas. "No, I haven't come to collect you. I have come to talk to you, is that alright?"

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

Nick ignored the question and turned to Connor. "Go see if you can find someone to authorize a private room for us to use."

Connor nodded and scooted away, leaving Abby and Nick with Stephen.

"Let's sit down. Connor will be back soon, then we can go somewhere a bit more private to talk."

"That's his name.....Connor..." Stephen repeated the name to himself as if committing it to memory.

"Yes. And I'm Abby...sorry I didn't tell you before." Abby smiled at him and he wondered if she wanted to shake his hand again.

"Abby," He repeated the name and gave her a blinding smile, Abby blinking at him, Stephen not realizing the potent affect of dimples and thickly lashed blue eyes on a female. Nick cleared his throat, drawing Stephens attention back to him.

"Stephen, firstly....what's the last thing you remember before waking up here in the hospital?"

"We were in a room, and there was this big, white light with shards of glass all around it."

"We?"

"There was a woman, I'd only met her a little while before, when she came to collect me."

Connor chose that moment to skid into the room. "There's a room down the hall we can use."

"We'll carry on our conversation there. Abby, you lead the way." Nick had already seen how Stephen's eyes kept glancing over at Abby, watching everything she did. He seemed compliant enough but a little incentive was always welcome. Sure enough, as soon as Abby rose to her feet, Stephen did too, following her without a backward glance at Nick.

The room was a consulting room, small and cramped but enough space for three of them.

"Connor......why don't you check in with Lester while Abby and I talk to Stephen. I don't think we'll be too long, so get yourself a coffee and make sure we're not disturbed, okay?"

"Sure professor...whatever you say." Connor waited for Stephen and Abby to enter the room, then Connor lent forward and spoke quietly for Cutter's ears only. "He creeps me out, rather you than me." Having said his piece, Connor left them to find a phone.

Nick entered the small office and shut the door. Very aware of the microphone clipped to the inside of his jacket lapel, he seated himself near to Stephen, facing him, while Abby sat just behind him

and to the left.

"Stephen....this must all be confusing for you, but can you describe the woman for me?"

"Okay......um...about your age, I suppose, brown hair down to below her shoulders, a bit wavy. She wore it up to start with, when she came to the Center, then she let it down when she got changed." He looked at Nick who nodded encouragingly. "She was wearing a dark suit at first, with high heels then later she changed into dark trousers and shirt, leather jacket, brown belt with lots of knives and things, with a pink scarf around her neck." Stephen looked up at the ceiling and screwed up one eye as he thought. "Yeah, it was pink. She also put on boots....oh and she had brown eyes." Stephen looked hopefully at Nick, " was that alright."

Nick had quickly realized that he was listening to a description of Helen as he'd last seen her at the bunker. Bile surged up his throat and he had to swallow hard, the image of Stephen being torn apart suddenly flashed into his minds eye and he felt himself drained of warmth and life. Abby noticed his suddenly pale face and she reached out, gripping his hand where it lay lax on his leg.

"Nick?"

"I'm fine." Nick squeezed her fingers then let her hand go, Abby returning to sit in her chair, flushing under Stephen's intensely curious scrutiny.

"Did I say something wrong?" Stephen queried, glancing between the two.

"Nothing wrong. You mentioned the Center. Can you tell me what that place was like?"

Stephen went on to tell them about it, of his room, his daily routine, his lessons, the people he'd spoken to and lived with. All the while he spoke Nick and Abby listened, torn between confusion and horror at the closeted life he'd experienced so far.

"So when Hel..the woman came to collect you, you'd never left the Center before that day?"

"There was no need. I had everything I needed." Stephen looked back at them, his face open and guileless.

Abby spoke up, seeing that Nick appeared lost for words. "Do you remember being a child at all? Did you have parents?"

"I don't think so. When I woke up I was already like this," Stephen pointed to himself.

"How long ago did you wake up?" Nick asked. "Do you know?"

"I'm not supposed to know, but I overhead Julian, the doctor's assistant tell another assistant that the meat had been out of the tank for three months....I think he meant me. Is that what you meant?"

If it wasn't for the matter of fact way that Stephen had spoken, Nick would have believed he was joking, making fun of himself, but it was obvious that he wasn't, that he didn't realize the implications of what he'd overheard.

"It's not important. Stephen, I'm going to go outside and talk to Abby for a moment. You'll be alright on your own for a bit?"

"I'll be fine.....you will be back though?"

"In a moment."

Nick ushered Abby out of the office and shut the door. He immediately started marching down the corridor to put some distance between them and the office to avoid being overheard. Abby jogged to keep up.

"Mother fuckin' pus-bucket....shit, shit, shit!" Nick swore, kicking the wall with his booted foot and leaving a dent in the plaster. "That bitch, that fuckin' self serving, cock sucking bitch!"

Abby crossed her arms over her chest and waited for his tirade to finish. "What are we going to do?"

Nick fixed his hands on his hips and rounded on her. "I'll strangle Helen for doing this.....strangle her until her eyes pop out!"

"Very colourful, but not helpful. He's barely more than a child, in his understanding of the situation. You can't possibly be thinking of handing him over to Lester's crowd. They'll carve him up for breakfast."

"What on earth do you expect me to do? It's obvious from the medical report he's a clone...a clone of our Stephen....the hows and whys are irrelevant. He's here...Helen dumped him here, and we are expected to clear up the mess. I suspect if Lester had his way he'd lock him up somewhere and throw away the key, tidy up the mess neatly and bury it."

"We can't let him do that...."Abby stabbed her finger down the hall to the door of the office. "It would be like taking a puppy and drowning it just because it had the misfortune to be born. It's not his fault he was created, I'm sure he didn't get a choice."

"All fine and dandy...but what the heck do we do with a thirty four year old child, answer me that?"

"He could be taught....have they done an IQ test on him?"

"I don't know. I'll talk to the doctor, see what I can find out, see who's responsible for him. You keep him company until I get back, okay?"

"Is that wise? He's obviously looking for reassurance, to make contact with someone."

"Then you're definitely the best person for the job, Abby. But don't get too attached. Remember, no adoption papers at this stage."

"Hardly." Abby rolled her eyes. Nick just smiled and walked away in search of the doctor. Abby spun on her booted heel and dawdled back to the office door, taking a deep breath before pushing it open. Stephen looked up eagerly when she appeared in the doorway, getting to his feet and rubbing his hands down his pants leg.

"Hi."

"Hi," Stephen echoed back, watching as she carefully closed the door before sitting down and crossing one leg over the other. "Where's Nick?"

"Oh, he's just gone to talk to your doctor about...." She waved her hands, "something."

"Will he be coming back?"

"Sure. So will Connor, I'm just here to keep you company, until they do."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Fire away." Abby sat back in her chair, her curiosity piqued

Stephen looked at her blankly, not understanding the colloquialism "Fire what?"

"Sorry...means ask your question."

"Is Con...Connor related to you?"

Abby felt a blush heat up her cheeks. "Lord no. What makes you ask that? We're friends, but not relatives."

"Sorry. It was just the way you acted...it was classic sibling response behaviour and having none of my own, I wondered if he was yours. I've only ever seen it re-enacted as part of my learning level, and it seemed to be entirely consistent, so I thought he might be your brother.....or something."

His sudden shift from childlike behaviour to talking like a college professor caught her off guard and she choked on a mouthful of spit, bending double to catch her breath. He had sounded so like the Stephen they knew, it threw her for a second, leaving her gasping.

Seeing her struggle, Stephen left his chair and crouched down beside her, his face creased in worry. Up close she found his physical presence both alarming and mesmerizing, his eyes intent on her face, his hands holding her steady as she coughed, her eyes watering, turning his face into a blur.

"Abby?"

"I'm fine, just caught my breath..I'll be okay in a moment." She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth to block another wheezy cough, Stephen letting go of her and sitting back on his haunches, still at her feet.

Connor chose that moment to burst in, seeing Abby with tears running down her cheek and instantly jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"What the fuck did you do?" Launching himself at Stephen to push him away, Connor found himself instead whirled about and suddenly face down on the desk, his arm twisted up his back, his legs held prisoner by Stephen's, the heavy hand in the middle of his back holding him effortlessly. It had happened so fast neither Abby or Connor had a chance to react, Stephen moving in a blur as he defended himself from the supposed attack by the younger man. Stephen stared across Connor's body at Abby and looked as surprised as she did.

"Oh my God....how did you...?" Abby gaped at Stephen.

"Let go of me you ape!" Connor yelled, his face mashed against the surface of the desk.

"Stephen, please let him go, he didn't mean to attack you," Abby pleaded.

Stephen instantly released Connor, stepping back to give him room to straighten up, Connor jamming his hat back on his head before rounding on Abby.

"I didn't attack him, he attacked you...you were crying! He nearly broke my bloody arm!"

"For God's sake Connor, he didn't attack me, I caught my breath, that's all....are you alright?"

She glanced over at Stephen who seemed to be taking an inordinate interest in his own hands, probably wondering how he'd managed to overpower Connor so easily. She was wondering the same thing.

"My arm's bloody sore," Connor complained, rubbing his offended limb and scowling at Stephen.

Cutter appeared in the doorway. "What's happened?"

"Just a misunderstanding," Abby explained, giving her eyes a final swipe before giving Connor a dark look to shut him up. Cutter didn't pursue an fuller explanation, his expression grim.

"I've spoken to his doctor. They have nowhere for him to stay here as there's nothing physically wrong with him. They want us to take him."

"Lester said no adoption papers," Abby reminded him, "and there's something else." Abby drew Cutter to one side. "He has hidden talents...he just displayed a very impressive ability to defend himself, plus a moment ago he gave me a mini lecture of sibling behaviour from what he observed of mine and Connor's interaction. I think we need to get him a IQ test as soon as possible."

"Well that's not going to happen here. The hospital has enough on their hands, they don't want perfectly healthy patients cluttering up the place. We'll have to take him with us."

"Lester will have a fit."

"Bugger Lester. As you said yourself, he's not to blame for this situation, Helen is. He may not be our Stephen, but he's still Stephen...if that makes any sense." Nick rubbed his forehead as if a headache was coming on.

"I agree. Your place or mine?" Abby heard Connor draw in a sharp breath behind her, obviously not happy with the idea of their place. Ignoring her house mate, she met Nick's eyes.

"He's taken a shine to you, and given his lack of social nowse, he's better off at your place. I'm sure between you and Connor you can teach him all he needs to know." Cutter grinned at Abby's raised eyebrows. "As you say, Lester will probably hit the roof and order him incarcerated, so think of it as saving him from spending the rest of his short life behind bars...at least for a few hours, that's as long as we've got before Lester finds out we've taken him."

"What are you going to do?" Abby asked, scowling at him.

"Find that IQ tester....I've got a list of names from the doctor, and I'll be chasing them today to arrange an appointment at your place tomorrow morning."

"That'll take some finagling," Abby retorted, knowing how difficult just getting a appointment with ones own doctor could be, let alone a professional consultant at short notice.

"I'm a Scot. We excel at finagling. Take good care of your puppy Abby, I have a feeling there's more to him than meets the eye."

"Why do I get the feeling the adoption papers were signed before we even clapped eyes on him," Abby muttered, pinning a smile to her face before she turned to face an irate Connor and an anxious looking Stephen. Ignoring Connor she spoke to Stephen.

"Is there anything you need to collect from your room? You're coming home with Connor and me." She eyed his brown and white speckled v-neck jumper teamed with a brown undershirt and loose fitting charcoal cargoes, a style fashionable two years ago. Remembering that he'd arrived in their time stark naked, she assumed the clothes were patient cast off's.

"There's nothing." Stephen glanced down at himself. "I was given these, should I give them back?"

"Not unless you want to walk about bare arsed!" Connor snorted, ignoring Abby's glare.

"Ignore Connor, he's an arse himself. Come on, we'll get you home."

"Is it far?" Stephen asked, falling in to step beside Abby, matching his stride to hers as he'd done with the other woman. Connor tried to work his way in between them but somehow found his way blocked every time.

"We have to drive, if that's what you're asking. Nick said he'd take a taxi back to the ARC, the company can pay."

"What's the ark?" Stephen asked, distracted for a moment when the lift arrived, his eyes watchful when Abby punched the buttons to go down to the ground floor.

"It's where Connor and I work," Abby told him, cursing her slip of the tongue. Given his unknown status, it was not a good idea to give too much away about what they did and why.

"Why do you work?"

"To earn a crust mate....without a job you can't earn money, no money no home, no play station, no fun," Connor informed him, smirking.

"A crust pays for all that?"

"Crust....bread...money, folding...pounds?" Connor shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"It's not important Stephen," Abby reassured him, giving Connor a look before they exited the lift.

Connor stuck out his tongue at her and jammed his hands in his trouser pockets.

Stephen was staring at the vehicles parked around the entrance to the hospital. "What are those?"

"Cars. We travel in them to get where we're going."

"Are we going in a car?"

"Yeah. That one," Connor pointed out the three litre silver Toyota twin cab. "Big honking boy toy. Throw us the keys Abby."

"In your dreams Connor. Stephen can ride shotgun, you're in the back. I'll drive."

With Connor grumbling loudly, Abby showed Stephen how to open the car door, got him settled and belted in before getting into the drivers seat.

Stephen watched everything she did with an intensity of concentration that frankly freaked her out, but she did her best to ignore it, glancing in the rear view mirror to meet Connor's grumpy face staring back at her. Traffic was light and they made it home within the hour.

Letting them into her flat, they all trooped up the spiral staircase, Connor instantly heading for his room, the door banging shut behind him.

"Ignore Connor...he can be at bit....sensitive at time," Abby explained, wishing she could deal with the situation by just shutting herself in her room, but the situation was standing in her living room, staring about himself with a keen interest, making Abby wish she'd vacuumed and left the place a bit tidier. Dumping her keys in the dish by the kitchen door, she watched Stephen look around, his head turning to make sure she was there, reassuring himself that what he was doing was okay with her, waiting for her to give him a nod before moving on to the next thing that caught his interest.

"Stephen, I'm just going into the kitchen. Feel free to look at what you like, but don't put your hand into any of the tanks....not all my pets are....pets." She saw him screw up his face to work that one out, the man looking more like a puzzled adolescent when he did that. "Can I get you something to eat, or drink?"

"Please. I'm hungry." Leaving off his inspection of her collection of reptiles, Stephen hurried after her, his stomach rumbling. Abby was bending down to inspect the contents of her fridge when she felt him behind her. Standing up she found him literally breathing down her neck, the sensation strangely unsettling. "Um...I have some coke....or juice...which would you prefer."

"Juice."

She reached for the container and turned to hand it to him. He was still standing too close and she felt oddly light headed. He seemed to tower over her, but not in a threatening way, just in an 'invading personal space' way that she usually resented. "Here, take this. You'll find a glass in that cupboard." She pointed the cabinet out and drew in a deep breath when he followed her instructions. Turning back to the fridge she pulled out a number of items to make a savoury omelet, kicking the door shut with her foot and unloading the food stuffs on the kitchen table.

Stephen had poured himself a glass of juice and was drinking it down to the dregs, licking his lips afterwards to clean himself up. Abby ignored him and went about the business of whipping up a quick meal. It was too early in the day for her, so she just flipped the kettle on before turning back to combine everything then pouring it into the fry pan. She was standing with her back to the room, watching the omelet, when Stephen came up behind her, invading her space again, and looked over her shoulder.

"Is this what they call cooking?" He sniffed appreciatively, moving to lean against the counter beside her, still crowding, but not touching.

"I'm making you an omelet....it has eggs, cheese, ham...all sorts of nice stuff, you'll like it."

"What are eggs?"

"Eggs?" Abby frowned. "They're laid by chickens. You crack them open and cook the yokes and whites."

"What are chickens?"

Abby looked over at him to make sure he wasn't pulling her leg. "You've never seen a chicken?"

"No."

"Oh. Well.....a chicken is a bird, for starters. They live on a farm and lay eggs...."

"Why?"

"Because if left alone, an egg will eventually become another chicken..."

Stephen screwed up his face again, this time in some disgust. "So the....yoke...is a liquid chicken?"

Abby stared down at the golden mixture just setting in the pan. "I....er...suppose so, yes."

"And you eat that?"

"Well....yes. We eat the bird too when it's no longer laying eggs....it's very tasty."

"You eat meat?" Now Stephen looked a little pale, his eyes wide. "You eat a live bird...a chicken?"

"Well, it's usually dead.....plucked, stuffed and frozen, unless you get KFC, then it's battered as well as cooked. We eat quite a bit of meat and animal products, one way and another." She turned the omelet over, the base a darker colour and done to perfection. "This is nearly ready, will you get me a dinner plate, make it two. Same cupboard as before, top shelf."

She carried the pan over to the table and placed it on a place mat. If he was going to be squeamish about eating meat and animal bits, they were in for a difficult time. She decided to make his portion a small one for starters, and have some herself to encourage him and show him it was tasty. Stephen passed over the plates and she divided up the meal, giving him a quarter of the omelet, the same for herself. Pulling open a drawer she got out two forks and handed him one. He looked at it and gave her a raised eyebrow. Abby huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Don't tell me......you've never seen one of those before either?"

"You eat with it?"

"Yes. It's a fork. Sit down and try this before it gets cold." She pushed his plate over and sat down.

She ate the first mouthful, Stephen watching her every move, from the way she handled the fork to putting it in her mouth and chewing. She felt a little self conscious but her patience paid off, Stephen mimicking her exactly and forking a mouthful in without hesitating, his eyes on hers. She watched him chew the small portion.

"Well....do you like it?"

"Mmmmm," Stephen replied, demolishing the rest within seconds. He held out his plate to her. "It's all gone. Any more?"

Abby smiled at him. "Sure...." and put the rest onto his plate, all of which disappeared the same way. It would seem that despite not knowing what a chicken might be, he wasn't a dedicated vegan or vegetarian, and she breathed a sigh of relief. The kettle was boiling so she got up to make a cup of tea. Stephen had finished his plate off, but was picking it up to lick it clean.

"Oh no...stop, you don't do that!" She reached to take the plate from him but he held it off to the side, just out of her reach.

"It was nice...I don't want to leave any behind."

Abby tried to grab the plate again, but he held it again just out of her reach. It was starting to become a bit of a game.

Every time Abby shifted, Stephen tried to lick the plate, snatching it just out of her reach when she made a grab for it. Abby stood behind him, her hand darting over his shoulder to pluck the plate from his grasp, but was foiled when he held it beyond her reach. It both annoyed and amused her.

The game ended when she grabbed his arm with both hands and held it down, stopping his other hand from getting the plate by positioning herself at his side and blocking it. The unruly tussle left them both laughing, Stephen grinning up at her, Abby laughing down at him.

Connor walked in at the precise moment and stopped dead in the doorway. "What the hell?!"

"He likes my omelets," Abby explained, deftly snatching the plate while Stephen was distracted by Connors appearance. "I was just clearing the table. Kettles boiled, fancy a cuppa?"

Connor dropped into the chair opposite Stephen and stared rudely at the older man. "I'll have one if your making a pot." He leant forward on the table, his fingers drumming. "So Stephen....what's it like being a clone?"

"Connor!" Abby almost dropped the pot of tea she'd been carrying to the table, hot tea slopping out and splattering Stephen who yelped and jumped up, knocking his chair over.

"Oh...sorry...here, get over to the sink and put your hand under the cold tap," Abby chivvied Stephen to the sink, and pushed his hand under the running water, Stephen hissing in pain when the cold hit the scalded patch of skin on the back of his hand. "That better?" Abby suddenly realized she was talking as if to one of her nephews, unconsciously adopting a higher pitch as she held Stephen's burnt hand in the water. Mentally slapping herself she let go of him and snagged the tea-towel off its hook and handed it over for him to dry himself off.

"It smarts," Stephen informed her, dabbing at the burn, his bottom lip pouting as he inspected his hand.

"Here...sit down and I'll get the milk. Get the cups would you Connor?"

Stephen sat back in his seat, still cradling his sore hand, while Connor gathered together three cups without saucers and banged them down on the table, earning himself a scowl from Abby. The tea was poured without further mishap and they sat silent for a moment, sipping the fragrant brew.

Connor turned to Abby. "So where's he going to sleep? Last time I counted we had two bedrooms, yours and mine." He opened his eyes wide and adopted an innocent expression. "I could magnanimously give my room up for him and share with you."

Abby smiled at him sweetly. "No need, thank you Con. The couch folds out into a bed."

Connor pursed his lips. Undaunted he threw up the next hurdle. "What's he going to wear? He's too tall to wear any of my gear, even if I was offering, which I'm not, and he won't fit anything you have. So unless you have a hidden wardrobe of spare clothes?" Connor cocked one eyebrow and sipped his tea with an air of triumph. Abby smiled sweetly again.

"I have something better. A credit card. The shops are open for hours yet, we'll go and get him something to wear." Abby lifted her cup to Connor, who glowered back at her.

"You told me you'd maxed out your card."

"Cards, plural. And I told you that so you wouldn't badger me about getting the latest Halo game released this month. Just because you have the financial acumen of a goldfish and can't hold on to a penny, doesn't mean I'm in the same boat. And that reminds me, you still owe me a months rent."

"Oh that's bloody charming. I told you I'd pay you back, and the rents not due until tomorrow, a whole twenty four hours away." Connor tipped his head back and downed the last of his tea. "If all you're going to do is insult me, I'm off. I don't want to be around when Lester learns you've pinched his prisoner and sends the military to arrest him."

"He wasn't a prisoner Con....and nobody is going to be arrested. Nick will sort it all out. I was hoping you'd stay and help!" Abby rose to her feet, her hands braced on the table top.

"Nope. You wanted this stray dog, you can have him. I'll come visit you in the Gulag....ta ta."

Abby sat down again and huffed, starring at the far wall while Connor walked out of the kitchen, leaving her alone with their unwanted roomy.

Stephen had watched the exchange like a spectator at a tennis match, his head turning to whoever was speaking, his cup of tea largely forgotten. With the bang of the front door reverberating throughout the flat, he belatedly took a gulp of his tea only to find it cold.

He put the cup down hastily and pulled a face. "Yuck! Is it supposed to taste that bad?"

Abby frowned and reached for his cup. "Oh....its gone cold. You're supposed to drink it when it's hot. Here....try again." She got up and emptied the cold tea down the sink before refilling it with fresh. "Try this."

This time, when he took a mouthful, he scalded his mouth, almost spitting the tea all over the table. Only by slapping a hand over his mouth did he prevent making a bigger mess. "Ow, that hurts!"

Abby leant forward until her forehead was resting on the table top.

Stephen looked alarmed and bent down to try and see her face. "Are you alright, are you hurt?"

Abby quickly sat up. "I'm fine." She sighed and crossed her arms, resting them on the table in front of her. "Look, why don't we start with something easy. You need clothes, because you can't possibly sleep in those tonight, and they'll need a wash tomorrow anyway. How about we go shopping and you can ask me questions if you don't understand anything, or want to know what something is. Alright?"

"Okay." Stephen held out his unfinished cup of tea. "Can I have another glass of juice?"

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	3. Adopting the Mantle

Title: Sum of His Parts

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: Three – Adopting the Mantle

Setting: post S2

Rating: PG13

Pairing: Stabby

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Abby had gone shopping before with various people in her life. With her mother, on the rare occasion her parents touched down on English soil before jetting off to some far off corner again. With Connor, in a vain attempt to purchase something not reeking of a musty Sally Army op shop and several decades out of fashion. With her friends, who would happily spend their time giggling over coffee than trying on clothes. And now with Stephen, who at least had some excuse for behaving like a six year old on his first trip to a big department store, although Marks and Sparks hardly qualified as huge, unlike Connor, who usually whined horribly until she relented and accompanied him to the gadget corner to hunt out a new USB gimmick.

Abby wondered if Stephen's expression of awed amazement would be permanently etched on his features. He wanted to know about everything. Every shop window was a source of fascination, every bus and truck a reason to stop and stare, until Abby had to grab his hand and forcibly drag him into M & S to make a start on getting something for him to wear. Even there, she had to almost push him to get him moving, every display an excuse to ask more questions and pick things up and examine them, until Abby prised them out of his hands and got him moving forward again.

By the time they reached the menswear department she was exhausted. One of the attendants wandered over and asked if she needed help, to which Abby pointed out Stephen and asked for something in his size. Stephen submitted to being measured, smiling happily at Abby who gratefully sat in a chair, and just watched. The shop attendant pointed out several racks of items, in his size range, and Abby pulled off a selection, piling them into Stephen's arms and sending him off to try them on. Fortunately, for her sanity, Stephen tried on the pants first, neglecting to put on any of the tops and coming out, for her inspection, half naked. He stopped traffic, both male and female, Abby blushing for him and quickly pushing him back into the changing rooms, explaining that it was hardly the time of year to go about without a shirt on.

Never mind that he looked rather dishy in only a pair of blue jeans and a smile.

Half an hour later she was satisfied he had at least a change of clothes to take him through the week, or until Lester caught up with them and carted him off.

The reason for their shopping trip completed, she gave him the bags to lug and took them over the road to a café for a top up. Bearing in mind the disaster of the tea, she ordered iced coffee's for them both, leaving Stephen to choose something if he was hungry. He was. In the end she had to shoo him away and just pick a couple of items from the selection, her face rather pink by the time she carried the tray to their table.

"I'm glad I'm not keeping you in food for very long," Abby muttered, ignoring the looks from the other patrons.

"Am I eating too much? I'm sorry." Stephen stared at the half a dozen plates cluttering up the small table. "They all looked so interesting. I've never seen food made like this before."

"Look...ignore me, I'm just a bit on edge. Enjoy yourself." She waved at the plates. "I might even sample a mouthful or two myself."

Mollified, Stephen helped himself, Abby relenting and helping him clean up the potato wedges, lavishly slathered with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce.

Leaving the table groaning under the burden of empty plates, they walked back to the flat, Abby glad of the exercise. Stephen continued to ply her with questions about everything from what was a motorcycle ,to asking about what she did for a crust.

That last question was left unanswered, her phone drawing her attention. It was Nick.

"How's it going?"

"Just been shopping, for clothes."

"How did he cope?"

"Fine." Abby flicked her glance sideways to Stephen. "He was just fine. We went to a café afterwards and he ate everything in the display."

"Stephen always did have a hollow leg," Nick chuckled. "I guess it's not a surprise his clone is the same."

"How did you get on?" Abby asked, rummaging for her door key.

"I've arranged for the IQ test. Can you get him to the CMU in half an hour?"

"Boy, you work fast."

"Told you, we Scots are master finaglers." Nick reeled off the name of the tester and his whereabouts on the Central Metropolitan University grounds.

"Okay.....half an hour. Will you be there?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

Abby snapped her phone shut, Stephen giving her a questioning look. "Are we going somewhere?"

"Yup. That was Nick. We have to go and see someone in half an hour, so lets dump all this."

They clumped up the stairs, Abby indicating for Stephen to leave the bags by the sofa. He had a pained expression on his face and she paused in her writing a note to Connor.

"What's the matter?"

"Need to go," Stephen told her.

"We are going....I just want to write a note to Connor, letting him know where we've gone."

"No...I need to go." He sounded quite anxious and Abby frowned at him.

"You need to go?" then the penny dropped. "Oh...right...sorry...here, just down the hallway."

She showed him the loo and he gave her a relieved grin. Unabashed by her presence he immediately unzipped his trousers, Abby beating a hasty retreat and leaving him to it.

What with his inability to understand the rules about personal space around her, and being completely unafraid to be seen either half naked in public, or taking care of private business with an audience, it was proving never a dull moment for Abby, her cheeks once more glowing.

Z Z Z Z Z Z Z

Abby endured another car trip with Stephen watched her every move, projecting an intensity that frankly unnerved her, his bright eyes absorbing her reactions and actions as if memorizing them.

At the University they walked through the crowds of students leaving the campus, Abby frequently having to grab for Stephen's hand to draw his attention back to the matter in hand, his interest taken by the scrutiny of the female students, who eyed him boldly as they brushed past.

Inside she followed Nick's instructions and quickly found the office, Nick opening the door to her knock and ushering them inside. The tester was about Nick's age and looked over Stephen with interest. Stephen stuck his hand out and grinned.

"I'm Stephen."

"Hi Stephen....my name is Brian Coulter. If you'd like to take a seat?"

Stephen canted his head and frowned. "Where do you want me to take it?"

Abby smiled behind her hand and Nick looked up at the ceiling. Brian looked a little taken aback, then quickly rallied.

"Um...nowhere, it's a saying meaning sit down."

"We'll leave you to it Brian," said Nick, opening the door and handing Abby outside. Stephen immediately rose to his feet to follow. Nick waved him back. "You stay here with Brian, we won't be gone for long. He wants to ask you some questions and give you some things to do....so you stay here, and we'll be back when he's done."

"Alright," Stephen replied, not looking entirely happy.

After Nick had shut the door Abby let out a giggle. "This has to be the oddest afternoon I've ever spent in anyone's company."

"Come along to the cafeteria, you can tell me how you've been managing."

Z Z Z Z Z Z Z

Brian gave Nick a call when he was done, meeting Nick outside the room when he and Abby returned.

"So?" Nick asked.

Brian folded his arms across his chest and blew out a breath before answering. "A bit of an odd one. When you said it would be a challenge, you weren't wrong. This Stephen, has he been in an accident lately, one that involved a head trauma?"

"No. Not that we know of," Abby answered.

"The results are interesting and wildly varied," Brian explained, "far more so than I would expect of someone in his age range. Some of the tests gave back results that I simply can't explain, while others have me completely baffled."

Nick exchanged a look with Abby before turning back to the tester. "Bottom line?"

"Bottom line. Ask him a technical question about Palaeontology and he'll quote you chapter and verse. He's well up on spatial and cognitive sub-tests, above average in some cases, his non verbal processing is well up there too. It's as if he's been programmed specifically for some subjects, while social and developmental areas have been completely neglected."

"Which means?" Abby asked, looking a little lost.

Brian struggled not to roll his eyes. "What it means is...he has a perfectly functioning ability to operate on certain automatic, physical levels, as demonstrated by that incident Nick related to me, involving self defence, but his social skills are almost totally underdeveloped, like a child. Ask him something in his scientific field, and he appeared to be fluent and confident, pulling the information out without effort, but also without reference or context. I've never come across anything like it."

"He's been programmed," said Nick.

Brian stared back at him. "If I didn't know that what you just said is simply not possible, I'd have to agree with you. It's as if someone picked out a certain number of abilities and skills and dumped them into him, but left out any socializing or developmental skills required to handle and communicate those chunks of information. A child in behaviour and mannerisms, processing and understanding, with a P.H.D in a wide variety of scientific topics. Unheard of."

"In this time line at any rate," Nick said in an aside to Abby. To Brian he simply grasped the man's hand and shook it. "Thank you Brian, you've been most helpful. Can you get your notes typed up for me, to present to my boss?"

"Sure....I'll try and spell it out in layman's terms. These reports can sometimes get a little bogged down in technical jargon." He laughed.

"Appreciate that. And I appreciate you coming on such short notice."

"One can hardly ignore a summons from the Home Office." Brian glanced at his watch. "I have to go now," glancing at Abby, he smiled warmly. "Nice to have met you. Goodbye."

Nick and Abby entered the room and found Stephen still sitting at the table, industriously scribbling on a lined pad. Looking up, he smiled at Abby and Nick.

"I can do equations." He screwed his nose up, "not sure what they're for, but I can do them...look!"

He passed the pad over to Nick, who stared at the page filled with complex chemical formulas. Nick passed it over to Abby. She stared at the numbers and letters.

"I recognize about a third of these,"Abby stated, handing the pad back.

"Better than me, I only recognized a handful," Nick admitted, staring at the pad with a frown pulling his brows together. Giving it back to Stephen he sat down in the chair opposite.

"Do you know what these mean?" Nick asked, pointing to the list of equations and formula.

Stephen stared at his own handwriting, then looked up at Nick, his eyes dancing. "Maybe."

"Tell me....this one, what does that mean?" Nick pointed to one particularly long and involved formula.

"Trichloromethane...also known as chloroform."

"Do you know what that does to an animal or human?" Nick pressed.

"Anaesthetic.....knocks them out."

"Do you know other tranquillizers used for animals?"

Stephen pointed to several of the formulas. "Ketamine....Xylazine...Thiopentone," with each name he pointed to the appropriate string of chemical letters. He said them as if he was as familiar with their names, as his own.

Nick decided to try another tact. "Stephen, do you know the difference between Palaeontology and Palynology?"

"One is the study of life in the past, fossils and stuff, the other the study of extinct pollen and grains."

"Can you name any fossils for me?"

"Narrow it down. Eon, era, period or epoch?" Stephen fixed his gaze on Nick, challenging him.

"Um...okay.....Phanerozoic, Cenozoic, Paleogenic, last third Oligocene...roughly thirty four million years ago. Know anything around at that time?"

Stephen dropped his gaze and started to doodle on the note pad, Abby and Nick exchanging a look, both wondering if he was going to be able to answer.

"Reptile or mammal?" Stephen asked, his head still bent.

"Mammal."

"Long Jawed Mastodons stood about four and a half feet high, had four tusks and lived about thirty three million years ago. The last Long-jawed Mastodons lived in North America and became extinct near the end of the Pleistocene, a little under two million years ago, or there about." Stephen looked up from his doodling. "Can we go home now...I'm tired."

Abby looked at Nick, who sat staring unblinkingly at Stephen. "Was he right?"

"He certainly sounded right....Connor could confirm the facts. Brian was certainly right."

"He does seem to have some pretty random information stuffed in his head."

"Whoever made him, they probably have the technology to dump entire museum loads of information in a persons head. Think how much we would have accumulated in knowledge, in the years we've been alive. We forget half of it even so. Stephen appears to have perfect recall, maybe because he hasn't got a brain cluttered up with memories of a past, or the stupid mores of human social behaviour. Fascinating."

Abby turned to look at Stephen, uncomfortable to be talking about him with Nick, as if he wasn't in the room with them. She met his intense blue gaze and felt a thrill run down her back. "So what now?"

"Take him home. I'll go and see Lester. If his knowledge is as specific as I think, then Helen did this entirely for that reason, to give Stephen back to us, complete with far more than the original Stephen ever had a hope of retaining, despite being as smart as he was."

"What about the rest?"

Nick waved his hand and got to his feet. "He can learn all that, as any child does."

"Nick....what exactly are you up to?" Abby frowned up at him.

"Do you want to see him locked up?" Nick asked, "because unless I can convince Lester that he's an asset, not a liability to the project, that's what will happen to him."

"Of course I don't....that would be cruel. It's not his fault that Helen is still messing about with everything."

"Quite. So we have to find a use for him. Take him home and I'll call you in the morning. If Lester phones looking for Stephen, refer him to me."

"Okay." Abby turned to face Stephen again. "Ready to go?"

"Yes." Stephen had been watching his two friends with anxious eyes, but now seemed satisfied that everything was fine. "Are you coming too?" he asked Nick.

"No. I'll see you tomorrow sometimes. Go home with Abby and get some sleep. You've had a busy day." Nick smiled at Stephen in an avuncular fashion, patting him on the shoulder reassuringly as he passed him, following Abby out the door.

Z Z Z Z Z Z

The first thing to greet them when the entered the flat was an irate green lizard, Rex swooping low over their heads, his chirruping loud and insistent.

"Sorry Rex, sorry." Abby ducked as the winged reptile bombed her again, Stephen staring wide eyed as Rex circled above their heads before landing with a thump on the back of one of the sofa's.

"You have a Coelurosauravus flying around your home!"

Abby paused in her passage to the kitchen. "Oh....yeah...about that...." She worried her bottom lip.

"How can you have a Coelurosauravus? They lived two hundred and fifty million years ago in the Permian!"

"Yeah....um....you see...well...."Abby mentally cast about for a valid reason to have an extinct animal as a pet. "It's not exactly what you said....it's a.....um....hybrid!" She snapped her fingers, "that's right....they've been cross breeding the Plumed Basilisk with a...um...flying dragon, the Agama and voilà!"

"Voilà?"

"Means there you have it....I have to go get Rex something to eat." Abby scuttled into the kitchen, her face hot.

Stephen approached the brightly coloured Rex, sitting down at the table to watch him. Rex seemed similarly curious about the human male, leaping off the couch and onto the table, chirping and barking his harsh cry, his tongue snaking out to taste the air and the man himself. Stephen held out his hand slowly, not making any sudden moves. Rex skittered back, thrashing his tail in warning, then lifted his head and fixed his bright eyes on the new human.

Abby appeared with a plate of chopped fruit and a saucer of water, pausing in the doorway to watch man and reptile get to know each other. Apart from Connor and Abby, Rex had only known Caroline, who had kidnapped him after bashing the poor beast with a tennis racket, so was usually very wary of strangers. During the day, the bright green reptile slept and lazed in any sunny patch he could find, which was why he hadn't been in evidence when Stephen had been around earlier.

Now he was submitting to Stephen stroking his head, almost purring like a cat. Abby placed the dishes on the table top carefully, amused to see her pet so relaxed. Stephen looked pleased as well, smiling broadly up at Abby.

"He likes me."

"What's not to like? Rex is a smart lizard....he knows nice people." Abby rattled the food dish and Rex trotted over, diving into the fruit and tossing bits about, making a mess as he munched happily.

Abby left her pet to his meal and went over to an ugly couch set back against the wall. Clearing the cushions off, she rummaged for the tab to pull out the folding sections. She was having a wrestle, the mechanism stiff from lack of use. After tugging unsuccessfully, she gave one last almighty heave, only to have the pull tab come off in her hand, propelling her backwards. For once she was glad that Stephen had a tendency to invade her personal space when he caught her from behind, preventing her from landing ignominiously on her backside. He gently pushed her back onto her feet, his hands holding her until she got her balance.

"Thank you," Abby breathed turning to face him, "stupid pull thing came off in my hand." She held up the length of vinyl strap. "Wretched thing needs some oil. I haven't used it for ages as a fold out."

"I could sleep on it as it is," Stephen suggested. Abby looked him up and down, comparing his height with the length of the sofa.

"Not a chance, you'd never get any sleep cramped up on this thing. Here, together we might just have a chance of getting the blasted thing to unfold. You take that side, I'll take this."

Between them they managed to get the fold out to move about a foot, leaving it still folded up, but now at an unusable angle for a couch.

"Blast....damn, damn damn." Abby kicked the base of the fold out in disgust. Stephen remained silent, while Rex sat on one of the beams overhead and chittered at them both. "Now what am I going to do?"

Stephen eyed the wooden flooring, then the other furniture, none of which lent itself as proxy for a bed. He yawned.

"I'm really tired Abby."

Abby sighed, dry washing her face and contemplating the alternatives. "Alright. Look, you can use my bed. It's way too early for me, so you have your sleep and I'll use the time to come up with another plan. Maybe when Connor comes back we'll be able to get this fold out to co-operate. Come on."

She gathered up the shopping bags they'd dumped earlier and together they carried them up the stairs to the loft and Abby's bedroom. Kicking her discarded pyjamas into the corner, she stood back, glad she'd changed the sheets only a day or so before. Stephen was looking about the room with interest, peering over the balcony rail back down into the flat, and then up at the wooden sloping roof scant inches above his head.

Abby marvelled at how simply having him in the room seemed to shrink it down to minute proportions, where before she had thought the loft roomy.

Stephen yawned again and started to strip, pulling off his jumper and undershirt in one go. Abby found herself blocked from the stairs by a broad expanse of pale golden skin. She blinked up at him, the light behind casting his face in shadow. Lord he looked nice in his clothes, but out of them. She swallowed - hard.

"You won't forget we got you some clothes to use when you go to bed." She was alarmed to hear her own voice come out as a squeak. She cleared her throat and started again. "There's a t-shirt and shorts...." She dragged her eyes away and scrabbled through one of the M&S bags. "Here..." She ripped off the sales label before passing it to him.

Stephen hadn't really moved since taking off his shirt, standing entirely unconcerned, noting Abby's reaction but not able to understand why she appeared rather flushed and bothered.

"Are you alright?" he asked, taking the t-shirt from her but not putting it on.

"Fine....I'm fine." Abby gave him a closed mouth smile. Looking down she realized she was clutching a pair of boxers. Ripping the label of those she held them out for him to take. "I'll leave you to get changed...excuse me..." She tried to sidle past him, but there simply wasn't the space. Her hand reached out automatically to move him to one side as she passed, her fingers encountering warm skin and firm muscles of his arm, sending tingles up her own.

Stephen had turned his head to watch her pass, their eyes meeting and holding, his gaze dropping to her hand still holding his bare arm.

Abby gasped and snatched her hand back as if burnt. "Sorry." She headed for the stairs without looking back, hearing the sound of a zip and rustle of clothing. Her resolve held until she was half way down the stairs, then she just had to turn around and look.

Stephen had pushed down his trousers and stepped out of them, his back to her. Even as she paused on the stair and watched, he reached for the boxers, the muscles down the length of his back rippling as he moved, her eyes travelling down over his lean backside and long legs then back up again, heat blooming inside her when he turned enough for her to see his sex before he pulled on the underwear. Her sharply indrawn breath drew his attention, their eyes meeting again, his tired and quizzical, hers wide and somewhat shocked to be caught out.

"Sleep well." Abby clattered down the stairs and all but ran into the kitchen where she ran the cold tap and splashed her face repeatedly. "Get a grip Abby Maitland...you've seen naked men before, it's just skin and bone and....he's just a man." She splashed her face again, willing the heat in her cheeks to cool down. Rex soared into the kitchen and landed on the sink bench.

"God Rex, you'd think I was a school girl and never had a good looking male in my bedroom before." Rex chirped back at her, his head cocked to one side. "Thank goodness Connor isn't here...he'd have a field day with this." She wagged her finger at Rex. "Now you have to be quiet, Stephen is trying to sleep..okay?" Rex followed the movement of her finger, even attempting to capture it when she waved it close to his mouth.

She spent the next hour tending to her pets, then hopped on the computer to check her mail and Google a few sites. When it got dark she pottered in the kitchen, fixing a meal for herself, and something for Stephen when he woke up eventually. She had tip-toed up the stairs to check on him and found him sprawled on her bed under the covers. He lay on his stomach, head pressed into the pillows, his snores muffled against the folds. He looked untroubled by the excessively flowery duvet set, a present from her mother some years ago, one of the ruffles on the pillowcase flopped incongruously over his dark head.

Many years ago, when she'd first met the original Stephen Hart, she had wondered what it would be like to have him in her bed, her life. Whether he'd be a good lover, or be rubbish between the sheets. Those fantasies had died a death long before the truth about his relationship with Cutter's wife had surfaced, Abby unable to make any headway against the austere wall Stephen had built around his heart, walls she now knew were put there, and reinforced, by Helen Cutter, long before Abby Maitland appeared on the scene.

Now she had a different Stephen Hart in her bed, but in circumstances that precluded any possibility of acting out those fantasies, given his immature understanding of social behaviour. God, he was probably still a virgin! Just thinking about that made her body jump to attention, in a way that left her completely disgusted with her own human auto-response physiology. He had a childlike mentality, even if he had the face and body of a mature man. To take advantage would be unforgivable

Downstairs again, and she sat at the kitchen table by herself and chewed her way through Ravioli and green salad, Rex her only company. Afterwards she watched a hour or so of TV, her mind more on the man in her bed, than on the mindless capering on the flat screen. At length she switched the telly off and crept upstairs again, a yawn catching her unaware and making her realize just how tired she was.

Stephen lay on his side, facing her, the other side of the bed free and clear. He'd managed to kick off the covers, his long legs terminating in surprisingly elegant feet, which almost hung off the end of the bed. Pulling the covers up she suppressed the urge to tuck him in, deciding just to make him decent.

She crept about her room, one eye on his back while she changed into her own night clothes, Stephen never stirring when she tip toed downstairs to perform her nightly ritual in the bathroom, dawdling as she did the rounds of checking on her pets, securing doors and windows and switching off lights. At last everything was done and all she had to decide was which couch to use for her own bed. None of them appealed, but she could hardly kick Stephen out of her bed at this stage. Consigning herself to an uncomfortable and sleepless night, she settled on one and curled up, a blanket thrown over her for warmth.

Despite her misgivings she slept, waking a couple of hours later to find Stephen crouched beside her in the dark, his hand hovering in the space between them as if he'd been about to touch her.

"Stephen, what's the matter?" she found herself whispering.

"Why are you down here?"

"Because you were in my bed....I'm fine here. Has Connor come home?"

"I don't know....why don't you sleep in your bed with me? This doesn't look very comfortable."

"Stephen I can't..." Abby sat up, scrubbing at her face. She still felt half asleep.

"I don't take up all that much room, and it's a big bed. I feel...it feels wrong that you're sleeping down here."

Abby thought of her soft, warm bed, giving a shiver as the chill of the flat penetrated the thin blanket she clutched about her shoulders.

"Please Abby..." Stephen entreated, still crouched in front of her.

"Alright....alright....I'm too tired to argue....no funny business, just sleeping, okay?"

"Funny business?" Stephen queried, rising up as Abby got up off the sofa.

"Never mind....we'll sort something better out tomorrow. Come on, my feet are freezing." Abby led the way back to the stairs leading to the loft, all the time aware of Stephen padding behind her. She momentarily wondered how he was managing to negotiate his way around her flat so sure footedly. Apart from the faint glow from the heat lamps in the reptile tanks, the loft was pitch black, Abby feeling her way around to her usual side of the bed. She felt the bed dip when Stephen lay down on the other side, the covers moving as they both pulled them up, the sheet cold under her legs.

She lay there unmoving, clutching the edge of the duvet and welcoming the feeling of being able to lay flat on her back and stretch out. Stephen shifted and turned on his side, facing her, although she couldn't see him in the darkness.

"Better?" his question floated out of the black and she smiled.

"Much better," Abby replied, consciously relaxing her body into the mattress.

"Why did you say you couldn't do this before?"

"Because.....well it's complicated....but two people don't usually share a bed, unless they're together...in a relationship."

"A relationship," Stephen repeated. She could almost hear his brain sorting through its mish-mash of information to recall the definition of a relationship. "You mean people that live together in a situation where they share everything?"

"Yeah...that's part of it."

"So you and Connor are in a relationship."

"Sort of. We're friends, flatmates"

"But you don't share a bed."

"Lord no....oh dear...this is going to be difficult. Sometimes friends do share a bed...like we're doing right now...or when circumstances mean you have to share, to pool resources like blankets and heat. But usually, friends don't share a bed, they have their own arrangements."

"But you're in a relationship...you said so."

"Yes, we are. But people who share a bed are also in a....a...physical relationship as well as a friendship. They share a bed because they want to be really close to the person they like a lot."

Stephen went quiet after her explanation, and she thought that would be the end of it, her body tense in expectation.

"Abby?"

"Yeah."

"Do you like me?"

She drew in a breath until her chest hurt. She knew this was going to be a mistake, that she should have stayed on the couch.

"Um....yes....I do like you Stephen," she waited a beat, "do you like me?" She felt stupid for asking, but still held her breath until he answered.

"I do like you Abby....does that make us friends?"

It was like being back on the playground, on the first day of school and feeling scared that no one would want to play or talk to her. As awkward as this conversation was, it was also almost unbearably sweet and she felt tears prick her eyes. He wasn't asking any more of her than her friendship, a situation that was as rare as it was poignant, given his situation.

"Yes Stephen....that does make us friends." She rolled on to her side to face him, his outline barely visible. "Whatever happens tomorrow or the day after, that won't change. Nick, Connor and myself are your friends...remember that."

"I will."

She could feel herself warming up, the heat coming off Stephen wrapping her in a warm cocoon.

"Goodnight Stephen." Abby was smiling at him, even though he wouldn't be able to see it in the dark. Pleased with their progress, she rolled over and lay on her side facing away from him, her eyes sliding shut, her mouth still tilted up in a smile.

Z z z z z

Stephen lay for some time after Abby rolled away from him, listening to her breathing as she slipped into sleep, the heat from her body reaching out to him, the smell of her hair and body enveloping him and raising goosebumps on his skin. She had said they were friends, a smile in her voice when she spoke.

Back at the Center he'd known a few people, but not any of them would qualify as friends, not in the context that Abby used to define it. He had plenty of theoretical knowledge of relationships, and had been teasing her somewhat, when he asked her about the subject, wanting to hear her explain the situation with Connor and herself, but he had little practical working experience with people or close, intimate interactions.

He knew he was making mistakes, but he was also learning from each and every one, watching the reactions of Abby and Nick, the people in the big shop and the small café, seeing how they reflected their intimacy in body language and face expressions, looking for the hidden as well as the explicit. At the Center he'd had limited exposure to the people looking after him, teaching him, the woman that came to collect him the first person he'd talked to outside his housing unit in all the time he'd been there.

Now he was out there, in the world, not the one he was born into, but another that seemed to be already tailored made for him, the people around him already familiar with who he was, or who he had been. He had quickly realized, from what was said around him, and from what he'd picked up at the Center, that he was somehow a replacement for another man who had died.

He wasn't sure how he felt about knowing that fact, or how he was supposed to feel, given the extraordinary situation. Whoever the other Stephen had been, he had been apparently well loved by the people now caring for him, well known and missed, which made their acceptance of him all the more remarkable.

On some level he felt scared and defensive, almost wishing he was back at the Center, hidden from everything and everyone, but that was a pointless perspective. For better or worse, he was here, in her world, in his predecessors world, a world he was going to have to make his own.

Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z


	4. Learning The Ropes

Title: Sum of His Parts

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: Four – Learning the Ropes

Setting: Sometime post S2

Rating: PG15 – adult situations

Pairing: Stabby

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"What do you mean by taking him out of the hospital?"

Nick stared out of the glass walled office, ignoring Lester's outraged question. It was early, so early that hardly anyone else was in work as yet. The ever present special ops men, like black sentinels scattered apparently randomly about the ARC, had recently changed shift, Nick welcomed into the atrium by Captain Becker just signing in himself. The young Captain, only twenty five at the time, had been seconded to the ARC after the Leek fiasco, brought on board to replace Stephen, Nick suspected, although the man himself never stepped beyond his brief to provide back up for the scientists out in the field, and co-ordinate security for the anomalies when they appeared, as well as adding his marksman skills if required for darting on either side of the rifts. Nick wondered briefly if the Captain would welcome, or resent having his place taken back by the new Stephen.

"I'm talking to you Cutter, the least you could do is pay attention!"

Nick swung around and returned to the chair positioned in front of Lester's broad desk.

"We couldn't leave him there, the hospital had no room for him."

"What did I say about not taking out adoption papers?" Lester spat. "You were just supposed to suss this man out, see if he was telling the truth, find out what he knew about the anomaly or Helen."

"Well I did all that. You had my report...and the tapes."

"What I got was something from a Brian Coulter saying a whole slew of things that will take me a month to decipher, and a tape of you and Miss Maitland colluding behind my back."

"We couldn't leave him there," Nick repeated, lacing his fingers together across his stomach. "He knows very little about the anomalies, and Helen didn't introduce herself when she took delivery." Nick twisted his mouth, "she collected him like a parcel from the post office."

"So where is he now, at your place?"

"If you've read the report by Brian you'll know he has a high IQ, possibly smarter than the Stephen we knew, but he's lacking in social skills."

"You left him with Abby and Connor." Lester slammed his hands down on the desk. "Does nothing I say carry any weight with you people?" He waited for Cutter to respond.

"Look. Helen sent him back here for a reason. Never mind that he's a clone, never mind that he will never be the Stephen we knew and...." Nick choked to a halt, his throat closing up. Lester waited for him to continue. "Look. This is only a suggestion, but I recommend you test him. Not just to his knowledge, but his physical skills as well. Helen was a great many things, but she was always thorough. I believe Stephen has been programmed with everything and more that our Stephen knew. Don't ask me to explain how it would have been done, I just know that Helen wouldn't have invested the time and trouble to return Stephen to us, to me, without making sure we'd have a use for him."

"That's exactly what I'm concerned about," Lester drawled, sitting back in his chair. "What if this man is a sleeper, a mole? He could be Helen's spy, an UXB dropped in our laps waiting for her to set him off."

"What can he do?" Nick spread his hands wide. "Nothing worse than what Leek tried to do, and he was your right hand man, government issue, Home office approved!"

Lester grimaced. "Point taken. Alright. No promises, but I'll give him over to Captain Becker, he'll know best how to find out what this man, this clone is capable of. Let's find out if your ex wife is as good as you think she is."

"He's at Abby's for the time being. Between her and Connor, he should start to find his feet socially. They're good kids."

"Abby maybe. You might have to have a word with Connor. He spent last night here, is still here I believe." Lester gave Cutter a raised eyebrow at the other man's questioning look.

"I'll look into it. I'd suggest you employ Abby as Stephen's minder," Nick remarked, a twinkle in his eye, "I think you get more out of this one if you use a carrot, rather than a stick."

"Abby?" Lester looked pained. "And what if we have an incident while she's babysitting him?"

"Connor and I can handle it. You and Jenny could always join us to make up a four."

"Funny. Always the comedian. Go find Connor, and send Becker up to see me, will you?"

z z z z z z z z z z

Abby awoke feeling deliciously warm, her toes quite toasty. Heat seemed to surround her, making her disinclined to make a move to get up. Shifting slightly, she snuggled more completely into the hollow made by her body in the mattress, wriggling her bottom to settle more securely into the cocoon of warmth radiating off the body curled against her back.

Curled against her back? Abby felt herself turn to stone as the realization that she wasn't alone seeped into her befuddled thoughts. Only now did she register the bare arm resting securely on her side, the hand tucked against her body just under her breasts. Memory finally supplied the who, her eyes closing for a second as she recalled how she ended up sharing a bed with Stephen. She became very conscious of his presence, her ears straining to hear his breathing, feeling his chest against her back rising and falling steadily, his breath puffing warmly against the nape of her neck. Mortified, she realized that her bottom was being cradled by his pelvis, that her wriggling around a few moments ago would have been directly against his nether regions. She felt prickles break out all over her skin, suddenly sensitive to every place that their bodies touched, his thighs slightly scratchy against the back of hers, his whole body surrounding her.

If it was possible for a person to die of embarrassment, she was sure she was going to find out in the next few seconds. Slowly and carefully she slid her hand down under the duvet to feel his arm, her fingers curling around his forearm in an attempt to remove it. She might as well have tried to prise one of the metal railings out of her staircase. She sought to lift his hand, but only succeeded in measuring her own span against his, finding out that his were really big, with very long fingers.

Next she tried to wriggle away as industriously as she'd tried to wriggle back minutes before. That proved futile as well, his arm holding her quite securely, as if she was a giant teddy bear he was cuddling. The analogy made her laugh at herself for a second, the mental image rather adorable.

She glanced at the clock, noting that the alarm wouldn't go off for another hour or more, so she had a choice. Remain where she was, and submit to being cuddled until the alarm went off, or make a bid for freedom now and be up an hour earlier than necessary. She had to admit, being cuddled wasn't exactly a bad thing, in fact quite a nice way to find yourself, it was just that....oh hell, who was she kidding, she knew this was a likelihood when she got into bed with him. She was only glad it was him holding her, not her sprawled over him, that would have been much worse.

If she could curb her blushes, there was nothing wrong with sharing a bed, nothing had happened after all, and nothing ever was going to happen. In the middle of her mental wrangling Stephen shifted, drawing his legs up so that his knee bumped her backside, his arm drawing her back even more against his chest, his chin now buried against her nape, his breath stirring the hair on her neck.

Shivers coursed up and down her spine, Abby drawing in a breath so sharply she felt it catch in her throat. She froze once more, noting that a man with the social nous of a child, had no difficulty knowing where to place his hand, his fingers currently cupping her breast. It was quite possibly the most embarrassing situation she had ever been placed in, but moving now would only make it worse. Her options were reduced to zero. No way was she going to try and extricate herself now, the necessity for an explanation too awful to contemplate, so instead she would do her best to ignore everything and go back to sleep, if that was remotely possible. Hopefully, when she awoke, Stephen would have removed his grip on her, and returned to his side of the bed, or even better, got out of it all together.

She had to admit, albeit reluctantly, that waking up in someone's arms was really quite the nicest way to wake up, in anyone's books.

To her surprise she dozed off quickly, her next conscious thought being the strong aroma of toast burning, the acrid smell dragging her awake so that she almost fell onto her face with the speed that she clambered out of bed. Stephen was missing from the other side, obviously the culprit causing the havoc stinking up the loft. Hastily, she grabbed her robe and threw it on over her tank top and pyjama boxers before clattering down the stairs.

"Stephen? What are you burning?" She skidded across the floor and careened into the kitchen, stopping at the sight of the tray laid out on the table. Stephen stood at the bench, knife in hand, in the process of spreading marmalade on two pieces of only slightly scorched toast. He paused in his jam spreading and gave her a wide eyed innocent look with eyebrows raised.

"I was going to surprise you."

Abby noted the open kitchen window, the smell quickly dissipating. "Oh....that's for me?"

"Breakfast in bed." Stephen licked his thumb, before picking up the toast and adding it to the pile on the plate. "But now you're up."

"Yeah...well...we can have it down here instead." She sat herself at the table, finger combing her bed hair, before knotting the belt about her waist more securely. The tray already had a small tea pot on board, as well as two cups without saucers and a jug of milk. Abby glanced at the clock and did a double take. "I didn't hear the alarm go off." It was a good hour past her usual time.

"What alarm?" Stephen asked, placing the pile of toast in front of her and sitting in the chair opposite.

"The clock beside my bed. It was set to go off this morning, to wake me up at a specific time." She reached for the pot and poured out two cups of tea.

"Oh that. Um.....it woke me up and I whacked it. I think I might have broken it." Stephen looked at her apologetically. "I didn't want it to wake you up, you looked so peaceful."

The thought of Stephen watching her sleep made her squirm in her chair, her cheeks turning pink. "Never mind. You probably just hit the off button, rather than broke it." She sipped at her tea. "Did you sleep well?"

Stephen nodded. "Very. Your bed is much more comfortable than the one at the Center."

"Oh....good."

"Can I sleep in it again tonight?" Stephen asked around a mouthful of toast.

Abby started and slopped some of her tea over her hand. "We'll see. I'll find out from Nick what's happening today, and then we'll know."

Stephen accepted her answer on face value and reached for another slice of toast.

Abby gulped her tea and wondered if she was really ready to bid her new room-mate a speedy goodbye. It was rather nice having someone who didn't demand anything more of her, than to be herself, and who thought about bringing her breakfast in bed, without a ton of hinting on her part. She hoped that Nick was not in a hurry to give Stephen up to Lester.

Z z z z z z z z z z

Abby adjusted the head phones protecting her ears, the cumbersome things too big and threatening to slide off the back of her head. She was standing at the rear of a shooting range watching Captain Becker and some of his platoon shooting targets. Stephen was watching as well, that intense expression, that was starting to become familiar to her, lending his face a stillness that was almost unnatural. The round of gunfire ceased and Becker turned to Stephen, indicating with a tilt of his head that Stephen should approach. Abby watched as the Captain showed the civilian how to hold and handle the handgun, a nine millimetre Browning. Stephen listened to everything Becker told him, shifting his stance as Becker instructed him, sighting along the barrel at the target. After several minutes, Becker tapped Stephen on the shoulder. Putting on his ear protection, Stephen positioned himself as Becker had instructed and held the pistol in a two handed grip. Becker stepped back, once satisfied that Stephen was in the best position.

Stephen waited until the Captain was clear before squeezing off three shots in quick succession. To Abby's eyes Stephen looked as if he'd been doing it for years, not at all phased by the noise or recoil of the hand gun, his movements smooth and relaxed. Becker said something to Stephen and the next time he held the gun in his right hand only, squeezing off another three rounds, before suddenly tossing the gun into his left hand and repeating the action, taking Becker by surprise.

Becker signalled for the paper target to be collected, stepping forward to show Stephen how to check the clip and reload the magazine, as well as a couple of other ways of holding the gun, both single and two handed. One of Becker's men presented the target to their Captain, unable to resist a small whistle of appreciation before returning to his mates. Abby stepped forward to see for herself, the ear phones left to sit around her neck.

"How did he do?"

Becker looked up from his perusal of the target. "You did say he'd never shot a gun before this morning?"

"As far as we know," Abby replied, glancing at Stephen who was absorbed in ejecting and replacing the bullet clip and practising his grips. "Why?"

In way of an answer Becker passed her the target, Abby holding it up to see only one hole near to dead centre. "Oh...he only hit it once!" She sounded disappointed.

Becker grinned at her and took it back. "No Miss....he hit it more than once. See? The hole is bigger than you'd expect if only one bullet found the target. If I was to go down to the back board, I'd find nine bullets stacked one on top of the other in the same hole."

"You mean.....is that possible?"

"It would appear so." Becker held the target up again and slowly shook his head. Stephen had finished fiddling with the Browning and wandered over. Holding up a finger, he poked it in the hole, Becker letting go so that it sat on Stephen finger like a bizarre ring.

"Did I do alright?"

"Better than alright.....you seem to be a natural." Becker took back the target and tucked it into a folder laying on a chair to one side. "As we seem to have established you have some skill with a gun, lets go to the gym and test your self defence skills."

Stephen looked longingly at one the men using an assault rifle. "Can't I try one of those?"

"Later. Right now we're on the clock. I have to report back to Lester by three. Leave the head phones on those hooks and follow me."

Abby handed over hers to Stephen, who hung them on the hooks provided, before they both followed along behind the Captain, the sound of guns fading as they rounded a building to enter another.

They entered a side room where the floor was spread with vinyl covered squabs, the walls sporting padding as well. Another squad was already there, the men ranged around the walls, while an instructor gave a demonstration in the centre of the room. Abby was shown where she could sit and watch, while Becker took Stephen off to get changed into something suitable for a lesson in hand-to-hand combat.

Abby watched the instructor throw his human crash-test-dummy about the room to illustrate several throws and holds, even picking one of the soldiers to attack him with a knife, only to disarm the man with a clever manoeuvre that had Abby applauding along with the other men around the room.

Becker appeared soon after, followed by Stephen, now dressed in loose fitting track pants and matching khaki t-shirt, both men bare foot as were the others in the room. Stephen lifted his hand to wave at Abby, grinning like an excited school boy. Abby blushed when every male eye in the place swivelled to look at her, her half lifted hand in reply dropping to the bench in embarrassment.

"Right lads...time to show off what you've been watching today. Pair off and take turns being the attacker...and put some effort in!" the instructor bellowed, before approaching Becker and Stephen.

Abby couldn't hear what the three men said, the room suddenly full of grappling pairs of brawny men, all apparently trying to kill or be killed, all grunting and thumping, and wrestling the daylights out of each other.

The instructor was probably giving Stephen some ground rules and discussing limits, the rest of the room ignoring them as they continued to act out imaginary attacks and defences Suddenly the instructor clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

"Enough. Right. We have a young man here who we think has some self defence training, but we don't know how much. We need to test him. Any volunteers?" Several hands shot up, the instructor picking two men of a similar build and height as Stephen.

"Okay....Sims and Pankhurst.....this is Stephen Hart. You boys pretend you're going to rumble Mister Hart and let's see what happens. Mister Hart...remember, if you don't defend yourself, these boys will see your face ground into the mat, so don't go easy on them. Alright?" The sergeant waited until he had nods of compliance from the three involved, then stepped back. "In your own time, gentlemen?"

Having seen the speed of Stephen's unconscious reactions when dealing with Connor, Abby fervently hoped that Stephen understood what the instructor had said. The two men picked looked like they were looking forward to practising on Stephen just a little too much, their faces painted with grins as if they had already pasted the new comer, and were triumphant, even before a finger was laid on anyone.

Abby watched as the three men circled, Stephen bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, his eyes never leaving his opponents, the men around the walls calling encouragement to their platoon mates, while Becker and the instructor shouted in support of Stephen.

One of the men made a break, feinting to the right, while the other man prepared to tackle Stephen while he was occupied with his partner. Abby closed her eyes, afraid to watch, only to open them again when a shout from the audience rang around the room. The two attackers were on their backs, while Stephen was still on his feet looking untouched. Even as she watched one of the men on the floor launched himself at Stephen, the two men grappling until Stephen hoisted his opponent over his hip in a text book judo throw, pinning the man to the floor effortlessly while the man thrashed to get free. His mate now threw himself into the fray, Stephen rolling out of the way to engage him, both of them rolling on the floor with fists flying so that Abby once more shut her eyes, wincing at the sound of fists hitting flesh. The watching crowd were well into it, shouting their instructions or encouragement to the two men against Stephen, the sound filling the room and almost deafening her. She looked to where Becker and the instructor stood, both men watching the contest closely. Abby wanting to scream at them to stop it, unable to move as Stephen downed one of the men, only to have the other wrap a long arm around his neck in a classic choke hold. There was no holding back now, and Abby watched horrified as Stephen's face started to darken while he wrestled to free himself. Just as she felt the need to scream, Stephen managed to twist around and get out of the hold, his opponent once more ending up sailing across the mats to land heavily, while Stephen stood triumphant, dripping sweat and chest heaving.

Becker walked over and thumped Stephen on the back, both him and the instructor grinning from ear to ear, the men around the wall cheering.

Abby slumped back onto the bench, her legs weak. Stephen had been tossed a towel and mopped his face as he padded over to where Abby sat. Dropping onto the bench he hung the towel around his neck before turning to face her.

"Did you see? I got both of them!"

"I saw....are you alright? They didn't hurt you?"

Stephen shook his head, dabbing at his upper lip with the end of the towel. "Nope. That was fun."

"Fun? They were attacking you!"

"Yeah...but it was only play fighting...nobody got hurt." With his hand he pushed his damp hair off his forehead and slicked it back so it stood up in spikes in places. Becker and the Sergeant approached.

"Whoever taught you that move?" the instructor asked.

Stephen shrugged. "I don't know, I just knew it."

"Never seen it done that way before... a neat trick. We're doing a mock knife attack in the next session, if you care to join us?"

"Would I!" Like an eager school boy, Stephen jumped to his feet, all tiredness forgotten. Tossing his towel to Abby, he followed the burly Sergeant back to the centre of the room. Becker stayed by the bench.

Abby glanced up at the Captain. "Have you tested him enough now?"

Becker stared at the group around the instructor. "Just want to see how he handles himself around a knife, then we're done here."

Together they watched Stephen handle several mock attacks by the instructor, until the Sergeant deemed him ready to try a real attack, from multiple foes. Abby thought it horribly unfair, but Stephen seemed to thrive on the challenge, dodging and weaving and disarming his surprised opponents with moves that Abby recognized from Judo, but several she didn't, Becker letting out a quiet whistle of appreciation at one deft move that made Stephen's brawny opponent howl and beg for mercy.

At the end of the demonstration, Stephen stood the victor, all his opponents vanquished but unharmed, the men limping or walking with help off the mats to collapse around the walls.

The Sergeant shook Stephen's hand, the younger man smiling in a bemused way when the men gave him a spontaneous round of applause as he walked away to join Becker and Abby.

Abby wrinkled her nose at him, Stephen shaking his head like a dog and showering her with sweat.

"Ewww yuck!" Abby swatted him away, tossing him the towel to mop himself up. Becker laughed.

"We'll hit the showers then meet you outside, Miss Maitland."

"Fine with me." Abby made a show of shaking her hands as if dripping, Stephen grinning at her before following Becker towards the changing rooms.

Outside, Abby sat in a patch of sun and waited. Becker appeared, followed closely by Stephen and they both loped over to where she sat.

"I think we can assume your report to Lester will say that Stephen passed with flying colours?" Abby asked the Captain.

"I'm off to give it now." Becker turned to Stephen. "But yes, unless there's something else he wants me to test you on, I'd say you passed. You can certainly shoot, and take care of yourself in a brawl. I'd be pleased to have you on my squad." He held out his hand which Stephen shook. "I'm sure we'll be meeting again soon. Goodbye Miss....Stephen."

Abby and Stephen headed for the car-park, while Becker strode off in the opposite direction.

"Is he a friend as well?" Stephen asked.

"He could be," Abby replied, impulsively tucking her arm through his as they walked towards her electric blue, two thousand and four, Mini Cooper S. She had wondered if Stephen would baulk at being ferried around in a small car, but he seemed to regard everything as a new adventure. Even folding himself into the passenger seat of a car, not entirely suited to six foot one lanky males.

Abby's phone chirruped and she checked the screen before putting her seat belt on.

"That was Nick....he wants to meet us back at my place." She checked her watch. "We'll pick something up for lunch on the way." Without thinking she asked him, "do you like Thai?"

Stephen looked at her blankly. "Tie what?"

Abby giggled. "Sorry...I meant have you ever tried Thai food, but that's a stupid question, because you haven't tried anything, have you?"

"No. Is it nice?" He didn't take offence at her gentle mocking, just pleased to see and hear her laugh.

"I like it, and I know Nick has a partiality. He and Stephen...." she suddenly stopped, her face falling. "Oh Lord, I'm sorry.....I meant that Nick....um...I know he likes 'gai tawt met mamuang himapan'."

Stephen raised an expressive eyebrow, and Abby managed to smile after her faux pas. "That's chicken fried with onions, cashews and mild red peppers to you."

Stephen wrinkled his nose at the prospect of Chicken. "Will we have to pluck it?"

"We'll leave that to the chef."

z z z z z z z z z z z z z

The introduction to exotic food proved several things. One, that Stephen, like his predecessor, had a love of spicy food, wolfing down a plate of mussels in curry sauce, a dish that Abby passed on because it was too hot for her palate. Nick was delighted to introduce their protege to several sample dishes, Stephen taking a keen interest when Nick described their contents and country they originated from.

Secondly, it revealed that Stephen, also like his namesake, had an innate love of living dangerously, deliberately snagging a sample of some Thai dragon curry paste on one of the plates, despite Abby warning him, and Nick as well, that it was going to prove too hot for his untrained and unprepared taste buds. Thirdly, it was proved that Stephen was learning fast, listening to Nick with an absorption that Abby found faintly disturbing, the student mimicking the teacher, copying the way Nick ate and used his hands to illustrate what he was saying.

Despite how fascinating it all was, Abby let them rattle on, glad to see Nick so relaxed and absorbed in something again. It had been a hard year for all of them, after losing their Stephen. Nick had taken it the hardest, and been profoundly changed by the ordeal, becoming more withdrawn, bordering on morose sometimes. To see him taking such enjoyment in a meal, as well as teaching Stephen, treating the newcomer like a student, seemed to throw off some of the cloud that had become a permanent feature of Cutter's persona in the past months. If it wasn't for this new Stephen's quirky habits, she could almost believe that their Stephen had in fact returned. It was only when he revealed an astounding ignorance of the commonplace that his cover was blown.

"So I told Connor, just as I told you....that's no way to treat an innocent chilli...but like you, he totally ignored me and spent the next half hour with his head under the tap drinking it dry. I told him that was useless as well, but," Nick shrugged, "there's just no telling the young sometimes."

"That's why you had Abby get me a glass of milk, rather than water?"

"Milk or bread....only thing to take the edge off. What did it taste like to you?"

"Sweet....and spicy....and hot!"

Abby and Nick laughed loudly, Stephen only smiling as he finished off the aforementioned milk. Abby, sharing that smile, suddenly realized she hadn't heard him laugh. She wondered if he knew how.

Z z z z z z z z z z z z

Abby waved to Nick as he drove off, her gaze narrowing when she recognized a familiar figure, his hands stuffed into his trouser pockets, his feet dragging as he came closer.

"Where did you slope off to last night?" Abby asked, leaning against the door frame with her arms folded across her chest. Connor ducked his head, his hat hiding his eyes.

"I was at the ARC." He yanked his hands out of his pockets and folded them across his chest, mirroring Abby's stance.

"I really could have done with your help here."

"Yeah...well...you have him now." Connor tilted his head and lifted his chin. "Was that Nick?"

"We just had Thai...there's some left over if you want it." She turned sideways to let him pass. Connor hunching his shoulders to avoid touching her as he sidled in, taking the metal stairs two at a time with Abby following. "Nick was telling us about his meeting with Lester."

Connor had reached the top and paused, not seeing anything out of the ordinary in the flat. Rex let out a loud screech and launched himself from his perch to glide down and greet Connor.

"Hello Rex, ol' buddy...you been keeping Abby safe while I'm gone?"

"What would he need to protect me from Connor?" Abby asked, veering past her flatmate to check on one of the reptile tanks. "There's nothing to harm me here....or anywhere, for that matter."

Connor stalked over to her, his face thunderous. "You're taking this all a bit bloody lightly. Where is the lanky git anyway?"

"Stephen is upstairs taking a nap, he had a busy morning."

Connor's horrified eyes swept up to the mezzanine bedroom, then back to Abby. "In your bed?"

"Yes Connor, in my bed." she rolled her eyes and moved onto the next tank. Connor followed.

"That's why I stayed at the ARC last night....you're mad to take him in. You saw what he did to me at the hospital...you wouldn't stand a chance if he turned on you."

"For heaven's sake Connor....you're being unreasonable. What has he done? Really, I'd like to know, what he's done to get up your nose so thoroughly. I'd have thought you'd be pleased to have Stephen back....certainly Nick has no problem with him, so why do you?"

"He isn't Stephen...he's some alien clone, a hybrid freak created by Helen Cutter in some future freaky-as laboratory, probably by some quack called Frankenstein!"

"Frankenstein built a man out of spare parts.....Stephen isn't like that he's...."

"What? What is he Abby?" Connor drew her away from her absorption in her reptiles. "Please...I'm worried. Worried about you, about us, about this guy that you all treat like some long lost brother, instead of the freak against nature that he really is. Am I the only one that sees this?"

"You're not being fair Con. He didn't ask to be created, he just was...he's been dumped into our world, our time and left to fend for himself. If for nothing else he deserves your pity for that."

"Pity yes....trust...never. I don't trust him Abby, and I certainly don't trust him around you."

Abby brushed off his hands, her expression incredulous. "What is it you think he's going to do? Even if there's only a smidgen of Stephen in that brain and body, I'd still be as safe as if I was with you or Nick...he's a child Connor....brilliant at some things, quite hopeless at others. He needs our help, and you're treating him like a Hitchcock villain." She reached for his hand and squeezed it. "If you're so damn worried, then don't leave, stay here and keep a watch on him, on me. I was going to ask you to show him how to use a computer. Nick seemed to think that the sooner we get him hooked into the Internet, the quicker he might be able to adapt and learn."

"If he's the child you say he is, I'll need to put on some net-nanny software before you let him loose."

"He's the victim in this Connor....you have to see that," She pleaded with him to understand. It was true that she did need Connor's help, their friendship surely strong enough to get over this hump of his paranoia and jealousy. "Just think...a fresh audience for a marathon viewing of Star Wars. And someone new to show off your brilliant archive of prehistoric data."

For once, her wide eyed appeal and wheedling weren't having the desired reaction. Instead of his usual reaction, Connor scowled at her and looked entirely intractable.

"I've a good mind to report him to the authorities!"

"As what? For goodness sake Connor...this isn't you. I don't know what is going on in that daft head of yours. Of course this man isn't Stephen – at least not the Stephen we knew....he's dead. But this man, this clone isn't responsible for that, and we have no right to blame him. Helen is the only one to blame for what happened, Helen and possibly ourselves..."

"What?"

"None of us were particularly helpful or understanding of Stephen in those last few months. In fact ,out of all of us, you were his most staunch defender, if I remember right. And yet now, now you've taken the opposite tact. I don't get it."

"No. You never did, did you." He looked at her now with an expression that bordered on despair. "How long have we lived together Abby? How long?"

Abby looked taken aback at his change of topic. "I don't know....about two years, nearly three?"

"Are you really so clueless? So blind?"

"What Connor? What is it you think I'm missing?"

"God Abby, for a smart girl you're such a dumbass."

"One more comment like that and I'll knock your stupid hat off."

"I love you Abby....I have ever since I first saw you. I even told you I did, when you were taken by those Mer-creatures. Don't you remember?"

"And you took it back Connor....you denied you said it, over a year ago now." Abby reminded him coldly. "Then you went out with Caroline and left me there...alone."

"Yeah....yeah I know I did...it was stupid of me I know...but I never stopped...I still..." He saw the look in her eyes and stammered to a halt. "It's too late, isn't it." He let his hands drop to his side.

"You're unbelievable. Did you expect me to just put myself on hold for you to make up your mind, or find the balls to speak about it all again? How long were you going to wait? Why didn't you say something last week, a month ago...six months ago...? Why wait until now? Shall I tell you why you waited?" She was working herself up into a full blown temper, her blue eyes sparking. "You waited until there was someone else on the scene, someone who you, based on no reason at all, see as a threat to your easy going, no attachment status quo. You don't love me Connor, you love this set up, this arrangement that requires nothing more difficult than living in the same space and sharing a ride to work."

"Abby, come on...we have more than that!"

"I thought we did....I thought we were friends....workmates...you watch my back, I watch yours..."

"We are...we do..."

"Then don't come mewling to me about love Connor. This isn't love....this is convenience, and you know it. If Stephen hadn't been thrown into this situation, how long would it have been before you decided to rock this boat and shake things up. I'll tell you when...never." Abby shook her head, her temper seeping away. "I do love you Connor, but not in the way you want me to. I love you as a friend, as a mate, as someone I can depend on in the field. If you were hurt, I'd come and visit you, if you died I'd cry at your funeral, but don't try and pretend that after all this time you, at last, have decided you want me to be more than that." Connor tried to speak but she held up her hand to stop him. "What we have here works exactly because you keep your emotional distance. If you didn't ,we wouldn't have lasted a week, and you know it. I'm glad that Caroline happened. It proved exactly what I've been saying. I'm not going to kick you out Connor, but you have to realize that I'm not in love with you, and if you were honest with yourself, you'd realize you're not in love with me either."

Connor shut his mouth and stared mutely at the girl he'd woven air-castle fantasies and improbable dreams about for the last two years. It was still Abby standing in front of him, his friend, his flatmate, his workmate and trusty companion, but also her plain spoken honesty pricked at him. Ignoring what was happening right now, he looked back over what had gone on between them, the easy friendship, the almost filial bond of loyalty, the laughter and shared fears, but never the feeling of pressure to be anything more than friends, and the freedom that went with that.

Like a bubble bursting inside his head, he realized that he had been keeping her at a distance, that they had both been keeping each other on a footing that precluded all sexual references, allowing them to enjoy each other's company without the hang up of sexual tension or expectation. Like a weight being lifted off his soul, he lifted his head and faced her squarely.

"I must have been blind. I'm sorry."

Abby smiled at him, a little sadly, but without rancour. "There's nothing to forgive. If we had really been in love...do you think it would have taken this long to talk about it? To act on it?"

Connor looked down at his shoes. "There always seemed to be something in the way...."

"If you're in love, Con....nothing gets in the way." She stepped forward and enfolded him in her arms, Connor hesitating only a second before doing the same.

"Friends?" Abby asked, slightly muffled against his jumper.

Connor pulled back and gave her his trademark lopsided grin. "If you'll have me back?"

Releasing him, she gave him a punch on the arm. "That's for being a jackass."

"Ouch. Then we're okay?"

Abby nodded. "No more jealousy?"

Connor shook his head. "I've been an idiot, haven't I." He heaved a sigh.

"But a lovable idiot. Hungry?"

"Ravenous."

"Come on...there's some leftovers with your name on them, and I'm dying for a cup of tea."

z z z z z z z z zz z z z

Stephen lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes again.

He'd woken to the sound of shouting, his first instinct to leap up and race down the stairs to defend Abby, the urge so strong he was out of the bed and at the head of the stairs before he recognized the other voice. Looking down he saw Abby and Connor standing almost toe to toe, their expressions angry. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he watched them, watched their body language, then slowly backed away from the railing. Despite the words, he could see that Abby was alright, that Connor didn't mean her any harm, that his interference would probably be unwelcome. Instead he backed away until he sat down on the bed, all the time listening to the raised voices, oblivious to their unseen audience.

He seemed to have extraordinary hearing, able to catch every word even when the voices were no longer raised in anger, but soft and full of emotion. He heard himself spoken about, his predecessor mentioned as well. Having never heard the saying that eavesdropper's never heard good of themselves, he listened unashamedly, hearing the emotion laced through the words, despite not being able to see their faces or read their body language.

They both had a history – with each other, and with the Stephen before – and that counted for a great deal with them both. What they were saying now reinforced his first impression that they were as closely related as siblings in feeling, if not genetics. He had seen the flash of jealousy in Connor's face but not understood it, now he did. He'd also seen the awareness on Abby's face, her blushes inadequate to hide her apparent attraction to him, the freak, the interloper.

But how did he feel? What part did he play in this dance? Did he have a place? Would they let him join in if he asked?

The voices drifted away in the direction of the kitchen and he lay down, sleep tugging at him, even as he wondered why he was so tired. Certainly the physical demands of earlier had been intense, but he'd only felt energized, not exhausted. Only after they'd nearly finished their meal with Nick had his body started to feel tired, his limbs leaden. Neither Nick nor Abby had queried his need to sleep, just directed him up to the loft, then Nick had left some time later, Stephen fast asleep until Abby's raised voice stirred him reluctantly from his slumber.

With the argument between her and Connor settled, he rolled onto his side and gave in to the urge to sleep, wondering briefly why Connor thought he had any reason to envy Stephen.

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"Why do you think he's so tired?" Connor asked, accepting the mug of tea from Abby, his fingers sticky from picking over the remains of the Thai food.

"Maybe it's something to do with being only months old." Abby shrugged. "Who knows. The technology that created him is way in advance of ours. Maybe it's a sign of his body maturing, or something."

"Or breaking down," Connor said without thinking. The silence afterwards made him look up, only to see Abby's stricken expression and wish he could kick himself.

"You think he might be sick?" Abby asked, putting the tea pot down with a thump.

"I don't know....I'm talking out of my arse, don't listen to me."

Abby sat down suddenly. "No...no you could be right. I mean, think about it. We develop immunity when we're children, but only by going through the process of catching and surviving illnesses in childhood, or being inoculated against them. What if he hasn't been? What if he's dying from something as simple as a cold?"

"Cripes..that's some leap of logic. He's only tired....not dying!"

"How do you know? How does anyone know?" Getting to her feet, Abby hurried out of the room, already half way up the stairs to the loft before Connor had cleared the kitchen doorway. He stood below as she disappeared up the stairs, wondering if in fact his conjecture was closer to the truth than they realized

Abby paused at the head of the staircase and laid a hand against her chest. Her heart was pounding with adrenaline fuelled fear, her gaze drawn to the figure laying with his back to her under the covers. Taking a moment to let her heart rate settle down, she glanced back over the rail at Connor, his concerned eyes watching her. Slowly, she approached the bed, straining to hear anything over her pulse hammering in her ears. Kneeling down, she put out her hand to feel Stephen's forehead, his sleep relaxed face showing no signs of distress or illness. As her hand touched his skin, her wrist was encased in steel-like fingers, his eyes suddenly open and starring into hers.

Feeling as if her heart was about to fail from fright, Abby gasped. "Stephen....please..."

Slowly he let her go, pushing the covers down as he sat up, while Abby seated herself at his side.

"What were you doing?" Stephen asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

"I was seeing if you were alright...I'm sorry if I woke you up." She repeatedly rubbed her wrist, the imprint of his fingers felt all the way up her arm. "Feeling the forehead can give an indication of a rise in body temperature....I was just checking."

"Did I hurt you?" He nodded towards her arm, Abby looking down at her wrist as if only now realizing it was there.

"No...no you didn't hurt me...I was just surprised to find you awake."

"I heard you talking before, with Connor, downstairs. I'd only just gone back to bed when you came upstairs. I wasn't asleep."

"Now I feel awful for keeping you awake with our stupid argument. Look...you rest, I'll be downstairs with Connor....okay?"

"Am I hot?"

Abby looked at him blankly, wondering if he was being facetious. Of course he was hot, seeing him sitting in her bed, the covers bunched around his waist and his hair all messy, was enough to give a nun palpitations, and Abby had no inclinations to be a nun.

Stephen cocked one eyebrow at her as he waited for an answer.

"Oh....oh you mean the forehead thing...no, you're not hot or clammy, as I'd expect if you were running a fever or something. No, Stephen, you're fine. I was worried for nothing."

"You were worried about me?" He asked the question in all seriousness and Abby struggled for a reply. Feeling the heat radiating off her cheeks, she kept her reply light.

"You're my friend...of course I worry about you. I worry about Connor sometimes, and Nick...that's what friends do. We care about each other, and look out for each other."

"I think I'll go back to sleep now." Stifling a yawn, Stephen lay back down, his head pillowed on his arm.

"You do that. I'll see you later." Pinning a smile to her face she made her escape, clattering down the stairs to where Connor waited for her.

"Well?"

"He's fine....no sign of illness or temperature. Maybe he's just tired because its been a busy day."

Connor nodded. "Sure....that's probably it. Look...why don't I take you out for a meal, maybe a movie..."

"I don't want to leave him, Con."

"Geez Abby...he's a big boy. He'll survive without you fussing over him. What's your choice? Chinese....Sushi....what about Indian...I'm buying?" he added as an incentive.

With a fair bit of cajoling and gentle persuasion, Connor managed to get Abby to agree to a meal after a movie, leaving the house to its now slumbering occupant and one bright green lizard called Rex.

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	5. Walking in His Shoes

Title: Sum of His Parts

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: Five - Walking in His Shoes

Rating: PG13

Pairing: Stabby

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"Captain Becker...this is your call."

Becker shifted in his seat, more at home standing to attention than sitting in Lester's office furniture. "As I reported, sir. He's competent enough on weaponry, and perfectly adequate in regards personal fitness and ability to defend himself. He wouldn't go amiss as one of the squad....sir."

"Yes. I noted your recommendation. What I want to know, is your opinion of him as a man?"

Becker shifted again, Lester raising both eyebrows which effectively quelled the fidgeting.

"I wasn't around him very long, sir."

"Long enough to form an opinion, no doubt." Lester pursed his lips, a sure sign his patience was wearing thin.

"As I was not familiar with the former Stephen Hart..."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Lester interrupted.

"I would say that this Stephen Hart would provide the necessary skills to aid the Professor and his team, as well, if not more so, than I do myself."

"Making you redundant?"

"Yes, sir." Becker focused on the far wall. "I would also hazard a guess that including Mr. Hart on the anomaly team would vastly improve morale."

"It has been noticeably absent," Lester remarked dryly. He drummed his fingers for a moment, then laced them together on top of his desk. "I will be proposing, after discussion with Cutter and his associates, that we include this man on the next anomaly incursion. Until he's proved himself, you are not yet out of a job."

Becker let a small smile lift his lips. "Thank you, sir."

"I will also need you to pay close attention to the dynamics of the team, once Stephen joins them. If there is any hint of subversion, or whiff of dodgy dealings in regards this man I want to be the first to hear about it. Do I make myself understood?"

"Dodgy dealings? Sir?"

"This man has come from a source that is suspect..."

"You mean Helen Cutter."

"..and as such, he is under suspicion until events dictate otherwise. Until that happens, he is to be kept under close observation by yourself and your men. Despite who he is, I place the safety of the team above his continued existence. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, sir."

"Good. I will inform Cutter as much as I deem he needs to know about this conversation. I expect you to use your discretion as to how much you pass on to your men. Dismissed, Captain Becker."

"Very good, sir."

Getting to his feet, Becker snapped off a salute and spun on his heel, leaving the room with an unpleasant taste in his mouth. Dealing with Lester always had the same effect, and he always felt like he needed a stiff drink afterwards. Shame he was still on duty.

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Stephen sat at the computer and listened, while Connor explained how to use certain functions. Every now and then Stephen glanced up and caught Abby's eye, the corners of his mouth twitching in a small smile, before he turned back to concentrate again.

Each flash of those blue eyes made a quiver set up residence in Abby's stomach. She and Connor had arrived back from the Indian restaurant full of butter chicken and Stella Artois, giggling like school kids as they stumbled over each other up the stairs. Muted strains of a Linken Park greeted them, and Stephen appeared in the doorway of kitchen, looking amused as they blinked owlishly at him.

"Stephen....mate!" Connor swung his arms wide, almost clocking Abby who had to duck.

The smell of coffee drew Abby, who side stepped Connor and Stephen and headed into the kitchen. Connor grinned widely and embraced Stephen, who accepted his hug despite being rocked back on his heels momentarily.

"I've been drinking," Connor announced after Stephen pushed him back. Stephen leant forward and sniffed the younger man.

"Drinking what? You smell......odd."

"Beer, me ol' mate....wonderful beer. Had one too many...but I'm sweet."

With his arm still around Stephen's neck, Connor lurched towards the kitchen where Abby was pouring out two mugs of coffee. Stephen gave her a helpless look and she abandoned the mugs to give him a hand. Together they got Connor into a chair, where he promptly burst into giggles.

"My best girl....and me best mate...couldn't ask for better."

Stephen gave Abby a raised eyebrow at Connor's loopy expression.

"He's had one too many, I'm afraid. My fault, I know how he is with alcohol. Three Stella's and he's anybody's." Abby shook her head in mock anger. "You'll have to forgive him Stephen, he'll sleep well tonight and probably not remember a thing tomorrow."

"No I won't.....not remember...I'm not that drunk," Connor argued, accepting the mug of coffee and wrapping his hands around it. "I'm just....happy."

"We're happy that you're happy Con, now drink your coffee," Abby smirked, meeting Stephen's eyes over the rim of her coffee mug. Stephen looked bemused by his friends behaviour and Abby wondered anew at his unique situation. It was quite possible that he hadn't had a drink of alcohol in his short life, the idea novel when you considered that for all intents and purposes Stephen was in his early thirties.

After some desultory conversation, Connor was having difficulty keeping his eyes open. A restless night at the ARC, and a stomach full of beer and Indian, had gone straight to his eyelids. Between them, Abby and Stephen got the young man to his bedroom, Connor giggling weakly as Abby stripped him of his outer layer, something she'd had to do before, so that she did it now without a blush or batting an eyelid.

"Help me get him under the covers Stephen...he'll sleep it off. By tomorrow he'll be back to his annoying self again."

"I'm not annoying....I'm lovable and geeky," Connor corrected her, grinning up at her as she fluffed the pillow behind his head.

"Very lovable. See you tomorrow."

"Will he be alright?" Stephen asked as Abby shut the bedroom door behind her.

"He'll be fine," Abby dismissed Connor and turned to face Stephen. "How are you, did you have a good sleep?"

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She didn't know how long Stephen stayed up after she went to bed, she only knew that when she finally awoke the following morning, there was a Stephen sized dent in her second pillow, and the bed was still warm where he'd lain against the sheets. It amazed her that she'd remained oblivious to his getting into her bed, let alone leaving it. It must have been the beer.

Shaking her head slightly she stroked Rex, who chirruped happily at the attention, and watched the boys on the computer, her thoughts wandering off into quite improper channels despite her best intentions.

The ring of her cell phone was a welcome distraction. "Abby speaking."

"Abby, it's Nick. I know it's a Saturday, but can you bring Stephen down to the ARC?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"Lester has agreed to bring him on board with the team."

"He has?"

"We need to bring Stephen up to speed with the set up, and what he's likely to come up against. He still has to make the decision himself whether he joins us or not."

"I suppose he does. I hadn't thought of that."

"Is Connor with you?"

"Yeah."

"Bring him too. He'll need to explain stuff to Stephen, might as well do it in situ."

"No problem. The boys are on the computer at the moment. When do you want us there?"

"ASAP. I'm already here, as is Captain Becker. This will be intense as we have no idea when the next anomaly will appear."

"Dumping him in the deep end," said Abby.

"Quite. See you soon."

Abby folded the phone shut and took a long swallow of her coffee. "Guys...we have to go. That was Nick."

Two dark heads swung about to face her. "What's up?" Connor asked.

Abby ignored him and addressed Stephen. "Nick wants us to take you to the Anomaly Research Center."

"Okay." Stephen gave her a sunny smile, unconcerned at the import behind her announcement.

Refraining from rolling her eyes, Abby turned away to find her keys.

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Cutter sat at Abby's desk and stared at the two younger men sitting in front of the anomaly detector. Just watching the two of them together made him feel every one of his forty odd years. He was still having some difficulty reconciling the man sitting beside Connor, with the one he held in his memory. His Stephen had been an odd mixture of fierce loyalty, and closed mouth privacy. Despite sharing nearly nine years together, he almost thought he knew more about the stranger sitting beside Connor, than he did about the man he'd slept in a pup tent with on the Serengeti, or drank copious bottles of JD with in the eight years his wife was missing.

But, in the end, actions spoke louder than words, with Stephen giving the ultimate sacrifice for friends and country, and Nick mourning his loss 'til the end of his days. Never mind that he'd committed the ultimate sin of sleeping with Nick's wife. In the aftermath Nick had come to realize that Helen meant less to him than any of the other people in his life, Jenny included.

He had reached the point where if Helen appeared in front of him he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger this time. He sometimes felt unnerved to think how radically his views had changed on certain subjects since Stephen's death. His ambiguous feeling about his errant wife had crystallized into a single focus, no longer feeling any loyalty to the woman that walked away so callously and left Stephen to his fate. Even Nick had his limits.

It seemed off, looking at this new Stephen, that it didn't upset him more than it did to see him alive and breathing, when the original was cold in the ground. He supposed it was a coping mechanism, a part of the grieving process, but he couldn't regret it. He could look on this new man and not see his friends, but a different person with a superficial likeness to the man he'd known, his heart the easier for the distinction.

"Can I get you something?" Abby's voice intruded on his brooding and he jerked his head up.

"Sorry....miles away."

"I noticed. Thinking about Stephen?"

Nick looked around sharply, then relaxed. "Know me too well, I think."

"Not really. I've been doing some thinking myself. Kinda unavoidable with Stephen brought back to life like he is."

"But he's not Stephen....is he."

"No. And I have a confession." Abby bit her bottom lip. "I like him the better for it."

Nick nodded. "I can understand that. No baggage, no Helen, no history. Just the man in his purest form."

"Exactly."

"Do I need to worry about you Abby?" Nick asked, noting Abby's absorption.

"No. You don't need to worry. He may look like a man, but he's still a child in many ways."

"And you are remarkably tolerant of children..." Nick remarked, flicking his eyes to indicate Connor. Abby laughed.

"I am, aren't I?" They shared a smile. "He certainly knows his palaeontology, doesn't he?"

"He identified every specimen I had on hand to show him. If I had an ego, it would be shattered. He knows far more than I do about the subject, and that's saying something."

"But without the practical experience to back it up," Abby cautioned, "nothing can replace that."

"No, that's true. He's quite unusual. All that intellect without the emotional history or point of reference to put it into perspective. According to Becker, he's been given the knowledge of hand to hand combat, but without the will to kill, another oddity."

"And he can shoot the centre out of the ace of spades better than anyone we know."

"Formidable." Nick paused and glanced up at Abby again. "He's very loyal to you."

"I know...it's scary. Sweet...but scary. He's so intense sometimes...he watches everything and everyone."

"It's how he's learning. Even now, I notice the difference in the way he reacts, behaves. He's mimicking the people around him, picking up cues and hints."

"Just as well he's around the good guys. In the wrong hands, he could be a lethal weapon."

Nick chuckled. "Certainly devastating to the female population."

Abby grinned. Captain Becker approached them, the man casting a glance at the anomaly detector and the two figures still engrossed.

"How's it going?" Becker asked Nick, nodding to Abby, acknowledging her presence.

"He seems to be absorbing everything at an incredible rate," Nick reported, leaning back in his chair.

"Are you confident he'll handle a field trip?"

"Are you?" Nick shot back, knowing that Becker was Lester's man, and likely to have his own agenda regarding Stephen's place on the team.

"I have my orders. The question is whether you are prepared to trust this relative unknown with your lives in the event of an anomaly incursion."

"Yes," Nick replied.

"I am too," Abby added, fixing the darkly handsome young Captain with a determined glint in her eye.

"Then that's all I need to know. What we need now is a proper test."

"An anomaly," Nick supplied the obvious.

"We're about due for one..." hardly had the words left the Captain's mouth when the anomaly detector warning system screeched into life, making everyone jump. The clatter of Stephen's chair hitting the floor was lost in the wail of the alarms, faces cast with odd shadows by the flashing red lights. Abby and Nick followed Becker across the floor to join the two at the anomaly detector. Stephen sought Abby's face, their eyes meeting across the distance, Abby coming to stand next to him, her hand reassuringly on his arm as Connor killed the noise and lights and waited for the detector to zero in on the anomaly.

"Look like we're going out east.....Essex....somewhere along the coast...not much there, mostly farmland....flat....little or no cover..." Connor continued to read off the statistics of the area. Low in population, small townships, heavily agricultural, few access roads.

"Going to be hard to be discreet in this area," Nick observed, rubbing his chin.

"Looks like Tillingham is our closest town," Becker added.

"That's not a town...that's a fly spot! A thousand people at most," Connor snorted, zooming in to bring up the aerial map of the area. "There's not even any roads listed all over that stretch of coastline. It's bordered by the Thames to the south, and Blackwater to the north. Locally known as the Dengue Peninsular."

"Get Jenny on the phone. We'll need to clear it with whoever owns that land before we tramp all over it," Nick instructed Abby. "I'll inform Lester."

"I'll get my squad ready." Becker sketched a salute and hurried off, Abby doing the same to find a phone and Jenny's contact number.

Nick, Stephen and Connor watched the screens as Connor pulled up all there was to know about Tillingham and that part of the country. Nick pulled out his cell phone and dialled Lester's number.

"Lester it's Cutter. Yes, I am aware that it's a Saturday.....yes, we have an anomaly." Nick ducked his head and turned away from the detector. "Yes, he's here and we'll take him with us. Of course I'll be responsible for him.....somewhere on the east coast, Essex....Abby's calling Jenny now. Fine...we'll let you know what we find." Nick snapped shut his phone and tucked it back in his pocket. "Got all you need Connor?"

"Just downloading it now."

"Good. Stephen, come with me. We'll sort you out with some gear, and you can help me load the truck."

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By the time they arrived in Tillingham it was well into the afternoon, the group stopping at the small township to get their bearings. It was certainly more difficult to maintain a low profile with a large black van following the silver truck. They drew into the picture perfect, weatherboard clad village and found their way to the village square, still conspicuous, despite the other vehicles already parked there.

Inside the truck, Nick drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "Anything from Jenny, Connor?"

"Nothing yet. The detector is still zeroed on land two miles from here, to the east. According to information, owned by the Marquis of Salisbury of all people."

"Which possibly is why Jenny hasn't been in touch yet," suggested Abby. "Dealing with landed gentry is never an easy task."

"Are you a snob Abby?" Nick asked, turning his head to look at her.

Abby shrugged. "Only what I've heard."

"Right. Well, I suggest we see if we can book rooms here at...what's it called?" Nick squinted through the windscreen, but from his angle he couldn't see the name of the pub.

"Fox and Hounds," Stephen supplied helpfully.

The weather had been deteriorating ever since they'd left the outskirts of London, the drizzle turning to rain as they pulled into Tillingham. Lights shone warmly from the windows of the pub, beckoning the team inside. Lifting the handset needed to communicate between the vehicles, Nick called Captain Becker.

It was decided they'd stop for a quick break while they waited to hear from Jenny with clearance, the Special Forces leaving their military paraphernalia behind in the van and looking not much more threatening than a rugby team on a day out, by the time they all trooped into the pub and headed for the restaurant section. There were a few locals, but they gave the newcomers barely a glance before resuming their meals and drinks.

Nick and his team seated themselves near the fire, while Becker chose a larger table near the door to keep an eye on the vehicles. Not wanting to cloud their judgement they stuck to hot drinks and bar snacks to keep them going and keep them warm.

Nick managed to talk the landlord into providing thermoses of hot soup for later when they were out on the marshes, deflecting the man's understandable curiosity by giving their cover story of being a survey team for the University of Cambridge, following up their two thousand and four study on the effects of global warming on wave attenuating over salt marsh vegetation. He saw the man's eyes glaze over and smiled to himself. Sometimes looking and talking like a science Professor was very useful.

His phone rang and he walked back to his table while he answered it. "Cutter."

"Nick it's Jenny," the sound of her speaking his name made strange things happen to his gut.

"Do we have permission?"

"Of course. When have I ever let you down?" Her low trill of laughter made him feel dizzy. Sitting down abruptly at the table with the others he mouthed that is was Jenny on the phone. "So?"

"You need to contact the land agent, a Mister Brabbinger. He'll take you out to the site."

"Can't he just give us directions?"

"Not if you want to avoid getting stuck in a bog. The land is a patchwork of fields and tractor access only. You'll need him to guide to precisely where you need to be."

"The weathers closed in, so that'll work in our favour and keep the locals out of the way."

"Good. Lousy for you, but great for limiting the need for an explanation."

"Okay....we'll call you when we get to the anomaly."

"Right. Good luck Nick....take care."

There was that voice again, his body reacting with a trill of shivers down his back. Ignoring the curious looks from Stephen and Connor, and a more knowing one from Abby, Nick shoved his phone in his pocket and ordered them to finish up. Going over to Captain Becker, Nick filled him in on the latest.

"You seem to have the ear of the landlord, see what he knows about this Brabbinger," Becker suggested.

Nick nodded in agreement and went back to the bar. The landlord was able to tell him how to reach the Brabbinger farm, even writing the directions down and drawing a map to be helpful. Thanking him, Nick signalled to the others and they trooped outside and back into the vehicles. The rain was now steady, forming puddles and steaming up the windows. With windscreen wipers on full, they left Tillingham behind, heading out onto the Marsh Road and Brabbinger's farm.

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It was almost impossible to see it in the pouring rain. Nick peered out from the hood of his rain coat at the anomaly spinning slowly above the sodden ploughed field. Practically in every direction was nothing but ploughed dirt, the ridges filled with water, shoes and boots quickly caked in clinging, thick mud.

The anomaly was suspended above the soil, impervious to the rain, unlike the group of people standing in front of it. Connor's hat looked very much worse for wear, hanging about his ears and dripping down his collar. Abby had one of the only two umbrella's packed for the trip, while Stephen had the other. He was crouched down someway from the group, staring at something on the ground. In a loose semi-circle, the special forces stood with weapons at the ready, peaked caps keeping the rain out of their eyes, their black uniforms already soaked.

Nick turned full circle, the rain like a curtain, limiting visibility. Seeing nothing, other than the anomaly, he wandered over to where Stephen was now standing, still staring down at the mud.

"Find anything?"

"Not sure. Hard to tell in this mud, but does that look right to you?" Stephen pointed and Nick squinted to see what he was pointing at. Abby wandered over, Connor huddled against her side to benefit from the umbrella.

"What is it?"

Stephen looked over at her and shrugged. "Not sure...I think they're tracks but I can't make them out."

"Has something come through the anomaly?" Captain Becker asked, joining the group standing staring down at the thick mud.

"Maybe...."

There was little warning before the ground erupted around them, a seething mass of serpentine bodies that writhed and tangled feet as the humans above stamped and kicked at the questing bodies.

"Bloody hell!" Connor yelled, slipping backwards, one of the creatures appearing out of the mud between his legs. It was as long and as thick as a man's arm, the body sporting several backward pointing spines, multiple segments and a feathery, questing proboscis that darted out, spraying water. He kicked at it, the worm-like creature retracting back into the puddle in a flurry of movement, leaving Connor staring at the hole rapidly filled with water.

The special forces men had rushed forward when Connor yelled, but apart from quivering patches of water logged earth, there was nothing to shoot at or even get a decent look at.

"What are they?" Abby shouted, dancing out of the way of another worm as it surfaced under her foot, her umbrella used more for balance now, rather than protection from the unceasing downpour.

Nick and Stephen were side by side. "See if you can grab one," Nick suggested, forgetting that this was Stephen's first day in the field.

"You grab it!" Stephen retorted, lurching and almost losing his balance as the earth shifted and one of the worms erupted out of the ground beneath his foot. Nick made a dive for the creature but it slithered through his hands, one of the spines catching his palm making him cried out.

"Damn...watch those spines." He tucked his injured hand under his arm.

Like dolphins swimming through the sea, the worms surfaced then dived back down into the wet dirt with the same ease, appearing and disappearing every time someone moved.

"Stay still!" Becker ordered, the four civilian's freezing in place, the rest of the troop doing the same. For a long minute no one moved, the ground remaining undisturbed except for the rain drops pummelling the earth.

"We can't stay like this forever," Nick shouted, twisting about to face Becker.

"They seem to be attracted to movement...any ideas of what they are?" asked Becker.

"Some sort of invertebrate, maybe a Scalidophora....one of the Mud Dragons?"Stephen suggested, carefully moving his position, shifting his feet slowly.

"But those are tiny, barely above a millimetre," Nick argued, "these must be at least a good meter long, and Kinohyncha are marine, not fresh water phylum."

Becker stared off at the distant edge of the field. "We're not that far from the sea here."

"And all this water makes it easy to swim through the mud," Nick added. "Anybody do a head count of these things?"

"I counted five," Abby called out, never taking her eyes off the raised furrows.

"I only saw four," Connor chipped in, taking a cautious step towards Abby.

"Start counting," Stephen announced, seconds before lifting his foot to stamp hard on the soggy ground. It took only two stamps for the earth to erupt around him, half a dozen heads rising from the ooze and reaching up for him.

Abby screamed his name, and Nick yelled, Stephen letting down his umbrella and using it to bat the creatures away from his legs. One body rose up behind his foot, sending him falling to the mud to land face down. He lay there, unmoving, the worms waving their mud coated questing snouts, like waving arms, until they retracted once more into the mud with loud sucking noises.

Stephen peered up at the circle of people staring at him with various expression of shock and surprise at his foolhardy move. Stephen grinned. "How many?"

"Seven...I counted seven in all," Nick called out, his injured hand still tucked under his arm.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Abby asked.

"Very carefully," Nick told her. "Everyone – except you Stephen - you need to move one slow step at a time. No sudden moves or heavy footfalls. Take your time. From where you're standing, take a step back – softly and slowly now."

Nick watched as each person lifted their foot in slow motion and set it down, then waited to see if there was a reaction. Apart from a small quiver, none of the worms appeared.

"That's it..one foot at a time...slowly, don't hurry. Keep widely spaced, don't bunch up."

Nick remained beside Stephen as the other's slowly retreated away from the anomaly and the ground churned up by the burrowing worms. It looked funny, but it worked with no evidence of movement from the creatures hidden beneath the earth. When they were a good hundred meters away, they stopped and turned to face the anomaly once more. Nick and Stephen hadn't moved at all, other than to help Stephen to his feet, the worms surging up only to subside again once the two men stopped moving.

Nick was soaked to the bone and Stephen was coated from head to toe in thick mud. Nick pulled out his two-way radio and called Becker.

"We need something to capture and contain these worms, over."

Becker's voice crackled over the microphone. "Will do Professor. What about tranqs? Over."

"No tranqs. We'll need thick gloves to protect against the spines, over."

"Will do. Back in fifteen. Don't move. Over."

"Not planning to. Remember....we don't want to draw these worms away from the anomaly, so slow and steady on your return. Over."

"Understood. Over and Out."

Nick tucked the two-way back into his coat. "Not exactly a great way to introduce you to the job."

Stephen shrugged, staring fascinated at the anomaly. "I wonder, if I walk through, will I find my time on the other side?"

"Not this anomaly.....more likely find yourself in the Cambrian."

"Or Ordovician, given the size of these annelids. Are we keeping one for research?"

"Think it'll make a good pet for Abby?" Nick teased, licking at the rain running down his face.

"Nah....but now you mention it...." Stephen shivered in his coat, the umbrella once more deployed although he was as wet as he could get, despite its previous protection.

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Twenty minutes later Nick's radio crackled into life.

"We've brought the supplies, over."

Nick carefully turned around to face the returning troop, still some distance from where they stood ankle deep in mud. Abby and Connor were absent from the group.

"Good. I hope Abby and Connor are staying in the truck. Over."

"Under protest. Any sign of activity? Over."

"No. All quiet. Come in slowly. Over."

"Will do. Over and Out."

Stephen and Nick watched the men in black make their cautious way back over the soggy furrows, several unidentifiable bundles carried under arms and over shoulders.

"Here." Captain Becker held out gloves to Stephen and Nick, his men already sporting thick gloves, guns slung over their backs rather than in their hands. The rain had eased a fraction, but dark clouds to the west promised more to come.

"Right. We have seven to catch. They'll be slippery and those spines are sharp. We need to capture and contain in these canvas covers. They'll be thrashing, so make sure you get a good grip. Every man target an creature and focus on that, ignore the rest. Once you have your worm, get it through the anomaly as quickly as possible. Any questions?"

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Abby peered through the binoculars at the small figures moving around in the distance. She could just make out the anomaly, the splintered shards of light managing to sparkle despite the gloom of the rapidly darkening afternoon. She had argued against staying in the truck, but Becker had been adamant. Still sitting in her wet and muddy clothes, she shivered as a blast of cold moist air drifted into the truck through the drivers side window.

"Can't you shut that?" Connor plaintiff wail reached her from the back seat, where he sat huddled in a blanket. A loud sneeze followed his request.

"I can't see anything if the window is closed Con....the guys are nearly done."

"I'm cold, muddy, wet and I think I have a cold starting." Connor sniffed in hopes of sympathy, but Abby ignored him.

"At least you're here in a nice warm truck while the others are sloshing about in this bloody awful rain." She strained to make out who was who as the men near the anomaly chased, and caught, the elusive worms. Seven men, seven worms.

From this distance they all looked alike, coated from head to foot in thick, clotted earth, even the black uniforms indistinguishable now. The way they were moving made them look as if they were have a glorious wrestling match in the mud, one or the other disappearing for a brief moment into the anomaly, only to appear almost at once on the trip back. After she counted seven times she saw them stop their frenetic movements and just stand there.

"Looks like they got them all back through the anomaly," Abby reported, Connor's only comment being to sneeze very loudly into his soggy handkerchief.

"Good for them," Connor moaned a minute or two later. "Can we go home now?"

"Not until the anomaly shuts. I hope the Fox and Hound has plenty of hot water."

"We could be here for hours!" Connor faint wail made Abby want to reach over and slap him upside the head. The others would be lucky if they didn't all come down with a dose of pneumonia after this, or at least a nasty case of foot rot from the boggy ground. She lifted the binoculars again and caught the anomaly just as it closed.

"Oh thank God. It's over," Abby breathed gustily, fogging up the inside of the windscreen. She toggled the window switch and finally shut out the damp. "They're on their way back."

"Good. I'm dying here."

Abby smiled at Connor's groan, he really was a child sometimes. When the men finally drew near, she toggled the window again. They all looked exhausted, covered all over in thick brown muck, slogging through the rain on inches of clogging mire coating each foot.

Only Stephen managed to raise a smile for her, leaning on the drivers side of the car, his face streaked with dirt. "We got them all, Abby."

"We put plastic on the seats so you and Nick can climb in."

Nick was already sliding into the front passenger side, while Stephen joined Connor in the back. Abby turned up the heating and gunned the engine, easing the big Ute across the slippery grass in a u-turn to go back the way they'd come. Overhead, the clouds released their burden of rain, obliterating all signs of the creatures disgorged from the anomaly and the men who'd battled to get them back through.

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	6. First Time for Everything

Title: Sum of His Parts

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: Six – First Time for Everything

Rating: NC17 – adult het loving - run away kiddies!

Pairing: Stabby

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The landlord was not best pleased to see the mud caked group return to his pub. In a room off to the side of the lobby, they were forced to peel off the worst affected of their outdoor clothes. Abby faired the best, being whisked off by the landlords wife to use their personal en suite to clean up, the men taken up, once free of their muddy outer clothes, to take turns using two showers on the second floor.

Connor sneezed loudly as he waited his turn, no one taking too long under the hot water, well aware of another waiting their turn just outside in the corridor.

Eventually they all reassembled down in the main room, warm and clean, dressed in dry clothes and only slightly damp from their showers. Becker detailed two of his men to bundle up the muddy clothes, while another two were detailed to help the landlady clean up the bathrooms with their load of soggy towels. The civilians were ensconced in two settees and an easy chair, in front of a roaring fire with hot drinks liberally laced with their alcohol of choice. Nick sprawled in the deep, wing chair, his feet almost in the grate, a hot Whiskey toddy in his hand and his blond hair spiked in all directions. Connor lay on one of the sofa's, buried under a thick rug, sniffing on a regular basis. Stephen and Abby shared the remaining couch. Abby had her feet tucked up under her and sipped her hot chocolate in appreciation, while Stephen lay with his head resting on the backrest of the couch, eyes closed, his long legs stretched out to the fire to warm his bare feet.

Nick's phone rang and he answered it. Abby listened with half an ear to the conversation, tuning out when she realized it was Jenny. Stephen stirred beside her and she turned away from her contemplation of the flames to meet his thickly lashed blue eyes.

"Thawed out yet?" she asked, still cradling her mug.

"Toasty. Is it always like this?"

"You mean easy?" Abby drained the dregs and placed the mug on the floor by the sofa.

"Wet and muddy." Stephen eased himself to sit more upright. "I suppose I knew that weather isn't always sunshine and blue skies, but I've never seen or felt rain like this before. Is this what they call a monsoon?"

Abby laughed. "No, they only occur in India, where it's a lot hotter." She tried to tuck her feet more tightly under her body to keep them warm. "I can't begin to imagine how this must all seem to you."

Stephen gave her a quizzical look. Abby rubbed at her trousered leg to ginger up her circulation. "I mean, you've obviously read about weather and rain, but to experience it for the first time. I just can't imagine it."

"Everything is for the first time," Stephen smiled, then his face relaxed into a frown. "But not the first time. I can't explain, but none of this feels new. I can only assume I have some sort of built in memory back up, so that despite never having been here or done any of this, it seems familiar but strange as well." He shook his head, "today was so odd. I've never been here, or taken part in a field trip before, and yet doing what we did, there was no hesitation, no fear, not a quiver of uncertainty. Isn't that unusual?"

Abby opened her mouth to speak, only to have Connor raise his head off his pillow. "Everything about you is unusual mate."

"Connor!" Abby gasped.

"No Abby, he's right. I am unusual, I shouldn't exist. I shouldn't even be aware that I shouldn't exist. And I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about that."

Impulsively Abby put her hand on his arm, a simple contact to ground him. "It's going to take time Stephen. You've come so far already...."

"But as what?" He covered her hand with his own. "There's so much I don't know."

"You're not alone in that Stephen," Nick spoke up, his phone conversation ended. "We're all, at best, gifted amateurs at this game. Today was easy, as Abby said. An easy test to see how you coped working in the team and under difficult conditions." Nick gestured to the window where rain beat against it in a steady torrent. "And they don't get much more difficult that this. For someone who, for all intents and purposes, is untried and untested you came through with flying colours."

Nick laced his fingers across his chest. "I'll be honest. You're not Stephen, my Stephen, despite looking like him, but I don't hold that as a bad thing. You are who you are, and despite the gaps in your understanding of certain things, you have a phenomenal grasp of what's important. No one can force you to be a part of what we do, despite what Lester may say. You didn't ask to come on board, and your situation is entirely unique and requiring some thought before you decide whether or not you want to be a part of it all." Nick paused, looking at each of his team in turn. "We would all understand if you decided that this was all a bit much and you needed time to find out more about this world, this time."

Stephen suddenly looked stricken. "Do you want me to leave? Where would I go?" His sudden descent into panic caught them by surprise. Abby reacted first, laying her hand on his arm again to draw his attention to her.

"No...no, that's not what Nick said or meant...nobody wants you to leave." She rubbed his arm, glancing at Nick who had leant forward but now waved for her to carry on. "And you don't have to go anywhere....unless you want to."

"I want to stay with you...and Connor."

"Then you can." She ignored the muffled snort that came from the other couch. "Nick only meant that if you wanted a chance to think about this, the anomalies, working in the team, all of this, a bit before you decided, then that's okay too. There are risks Stephen...risks that we have all accepted, risks that can result in injury even death." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "We know the risks, but you don't and it wouldn't be fair to ask you to join the organization not knowing those risks. We never know what's going to appear through an anomaly. Sometimes it's nothing, other times it's something deadly and dangerous."

"You do it. You and Nick, and Connor."

"We do. But you don't have to."

"But isn't this what I was created for? What I was given all these skills and knowledge for?"

Nick spoke up. "That's not important Stephen. For whatever reason you were brought here, you are still a human being and have the right to choose."

Stephen stared back at Nick, then glanced at Connor who nodded, then finally looked at Abby, her hand warm on his arm.

"I want to do this. There's always a chance that one day an anomaly will open into my own time. If I'm not a part of all this, I'll miss that chance."

Abby bit her lip, letting her hand drop down to rest on her leg. "Is it so important you go back?"

Stephen smiled at her downcast face. "I'd rather stay here with you. But I do want answers. And the woman who ordered me into existence is there, I have questions for her too."

"Good luck," Connor muttered, pulling one of the rugs up about his ears. "I'd rather deal with a Velociraptor than Helen Cutter."

"You don't want that woman in your life....she's already responsible for too much mayhem." Nick's shadowed eyes met Stephens. "If you ever see her, or she contacts you...don't keep it a secret, whatever she tells you. Secrets are what killed my...our Stephen."

The snap and crackle of the fire filled the sudden void of conversation. Everyone was saved from attempting anything further by the announcement, by the landlord, that their table was ready and a meal about to be served. Abandoning their cosy corner for a hot meal was a welcome distraction, the cottage pie and apple crumble coping with appetites created by battling worms and the weather. Captain Becker and his men occupied a table next to Cutter and his now complete team, the soldiers thankfully demolishing everything put in front of them. Afterwards, Becker took a call from his superiors, an order sending him and his men in the black van back to the ARC, leaving the rest to enjoy a night in Tillingham, courtesy of the Home Office.

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The storm had gathered force, the locals ducking under inadequate umbrella's, to avoid the worst of the tempest, to reach the public bar, the restaurant light of customers. Connor had retreated to the couch after their meal, the others finding him stretched out in front of the fire and fast asleep. Abby had difficulty stifling a yawn, Nick also finding it challenging to keep his eyes open after the delicious meal and warm fire.

"I'm for bed." Abby stretched her arms above her head, feeling the pull of muscles before dropping her arms to her side.

"Becker has arranged our accommodation, so check with the landlord for your room number," Nick informed her, cradling another cut glass tumbler on his chest as he contemplated the dancing flames.

Abby sauntered off, not noticing that Stephen paid particular attention when she asked for her room key.

"I think I'll get my head down too," Stephen announced shortly afterwards, Nick waving a negligent hand towards the hotel desk, before resuming his contemplation of the grate. Connor didn't stir and Stephen reckoned his young friend would probably remain where he was for the night. "I'll see you both in the morning."

Turning on his heel, he headed for the stairs, heading for the room Abby had been given, the door unlocked when he turned the handle to enter.

A light shone from under a door and he heard the sounds of water and someone brushing their teeth. The room was warm so he took off his jumper and shucked his jeans leaving him in his soft cotton undershirt and boxer shorts. Opening the bathroom door, he stood for a moment watching Abby finish her routine, their eyes meeting in the small mirror, hers opening wide on seeing him behind her.

"Oh....er.....Stephen.....um."

"I was tired too."

"Yeah....bet you are....um....look....um...."

"Is there something wrong?" Stephen was already making use of the hotel courtesy toothbrush, not bothering to check himself in the mirror after rinsing before turning to use the corner loo, completely unconcerned by Abby's presence. She was mentally kicking herself for not foreseeing that despite this being the first time they'd spent a night away from home, Stephen would expect to follow the usual routine of sleeping with her. She wasn't worried about Connor's reaction, her flatmate quite sanguine about Stephen inhabiting Abby's bed, understanding that the relationship was entirely platonic and nothing romantic, at least not on Stephen's side. How Abby felt about waking up wrapped in Stephen's arms were issues she'd rather not examine too closely.

Stephen had finished his necessary functions and was washing his hands, his head turning to give her a quizzical look.

"You're making a strange face."

Abby jumped. "I am?"

"Yeah...are you coming to bed?"

"Um......about that.....Stephen, I think...that is...."

She tried to think of a way to break it to him that he had to sleep somewhere else, but couldn't come up with a suitable reason why, other than the obvious, that it would look to everyone else that they were romantically involved, which they weren't, but hard to explain away the sleeping thing and not look just as it appeared. Stephen was still watching her intently, his head canted to one side, a familiar indication that he was confused by something. With her available options limited to ejecting him from the room and creating a likely scene, or accepting the status quo and hoping no one noticed, she opted for the latter.

"Nothing's wrong....I'll be along in a moment."

"Okay." Stephen smiled at her, obviously relieved she'd finally made up her mind.

Abby waited until he left before letting out a long breath and all but collapsing on the toilet after putting the seat down. She should have foreseen this situation and made plans to explain how things were done when they weren't at home. That said, she felt a spurt of resentment that she had to go to such lengths, when nothing was actually happening between her and Stephen except the actual sleeping part. Of course, given appearances it was unlikely that anyone would believe that she had Stephen in her bed and did nothing other than sleep, I mean, who would believe it?

Scrubbing her hair back from her face, she scowled at her reflection before switching off the bathroom light and entering the bedroom. She switched off the main light, then padded over to the bed. It was only a double, not a queen like her own, so that Stephen seemed to be taking up an inordinately large proportion of the bed, said occupant currently propped on his elbow and watching her as she approached and pulled back the covers.

He waited until she was settled under the covers, flat on her back and staring up at the ceiling, before speaking.

"Abby?"

"Yeah."

"Did I do something wrong?"

Abby sighed, turning her head to look at him. "No. Not exactly."

"But you weren't expecting me just now.....were you?"

"No, I wasn't, but that's my fault for not explaining about what we do, when we're not at home."

She saw his brow furrow. "Why is it different?"

"It's just....well.....when two people sleep together, then other people can misunderstand and think that those two people are....um.....in a relationship."

"But we're not in a relationship, we just sleep together."

"Quite. But that's only been back at the flat, and only Connor knows about that."

"Then why not tell Nick, and Captain Becker, then they'll know as well..."

"NO....no....er....no." Abby passed a hand over her eyes and wondered, if she kept them closed long enough, she wouldn't have to answer any more questions. She felt the bed move and quickly removed her hand to see Stephen about to leave his side of the bed. Sitting up hurriedly, she grabbed at his arm to stop him. "What are you doing?"

"You don't want me to be here, so I'll go and find somewhere else to sleep."

"No, you can't do that.....the others will be going to bed soon, and if they see you coming out of my room...." She winced at how that sounded. "Look, I do want to sleep with you," she gulped, knowing that if she said that to any other man on the planet they'd take it the wrong way. "Please don't go....I'm sorry for being an idiot, I was just...surprised."

Stephen hadn't moved from the side of the bed, although he could have broken her grip on his arm with ease. "You really don't mind?" The tug on his arm was slowly pulling him backwards, his will to resist melting under her insistence.

"I'm sure." Abby ducked her head. "I've kinda got used to having you near."

Resuming his former position propped on his side facing her, Stephen regarded her averted face and wondered why she'd stopped him leaving. He hated the idea of sleeping somewhere else, but if she'd asked him to, he would have gone. Instead, what had been bothering her appeared to be no longer a problem.

"Abby?"

This time she turned onto her side and faced him, giving him her full attention. "Yeah?"

"I like sleeping with you. For so long I've slept on my own, at the Center, then at the hospital, but they weren't anything like sleeping in the same bed with someone."

"No, I don't suppose it was. I don't suppose you had much physical contact with anyone, have you?"

"You mean like you have with Connor, when you wrap your arms about him?"

"They're called hugs, and friends give them to each other to give comfort, or to welcome them home, or just because you care about them."

"I've never had one of those. When you shook my hand, that was the first time anyone had really wanted to touch me for anything other than a medical inspection."

He didn't say it in a way to gain sympathy, stating the plain facts of his life before being dumped through the anomaly, and it made a lump rise up in Abby's throat thinking how desolate it sounded.

"I'll give you a hug.....any time you need one." Swallowing the prickle of tears threatening to spill over, she held out her arms, Stephen hesitating a moment before mirroring her gesture and sliding over to wrap her in his arms for his first hug, Abby clinging to him, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

She held on for several minutes before carefully easing herself away, Stephen releasing her while still watching her face intently to read her reactions.

"Your first hug," she announced, smiling at him, "how did you like it?"

"I think I should sleep now." Not waiting for her answer, he turned over, presenting her with the long line of his back, before pulling the covers up to his ears. Abby stared at the back of his dark head for a moment before twisting to turn off the bedside lamp, somewhat confused by his reaction to her hug. If she was honest, she had wished she'd not needed to release him, the feel of him pressed up against her chest, his arms holding her firmly without crushing her, was really quite pleasant. But apparently he didn't feel the same way. Miffed, she turned her back on him and burrowed under the covers.

So much for that idea.

Stephen lay on his side and stared at the shadows on the walls. He felt as far from sleep as it was possible, his body fizzing with sensations he was hard pressed to understand. All he knew, was that when he held Abby up close to his body, all manner of strange things started to happen. The biggest problem that he had to deal with in the aftermath, was how rigid his body had become between his legs, his hand slowly reaching down to explore this new and perplexing reaction to holding Abby's soft body against his chest. He'd had a similar reactions when he'd awoken in the morning, triggered, he suspected, by the need to empty his bladder first thing. He knew about biology and the mechanics of what his body should and could do, but to have a practical demonstration was a little unnerving and downright embarrassing. He hoped that Abby hadn't been aware of his reaction to her hug, wondering if Connor reacted the same way when she hugged him.

Certainly there seemed to be a vast difference between knowing something and actually experiencing it. Now he was left with a problem that he wasn't sure how to remedy. His body was trying to tell him something, even the lightest tough of his hand provoking an extreme reaction, making him bite his tongue to prevent making a sound, while he held his body as still as possible to prevent disturbing Abby. It all made for an extremely fraught and increasingly painful situation.

To distract himself, he went over the events of the day, recalling the cold mud and chill rain soaking his clothes, his body slowly subsiding as he concentrated on anything other than the ache down below. At length he was able to relax and fall asleep, the sound of Abby's soft breathing following him into oblivion.

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Abby woke with a start, jolted out of a dream that she was hard pressed to remember, the sensation of disorientation lingering for several minutes until she placed the room and its contents in her memory. She felt deliciously warm, Stephen snug up against her back, his arm in its customary place about her middle, his wonderfully large hand cupping her breast under her t-shirt.

That last bit made her wake up in a hurry. Now the dream came back to her, her skin prickling as she felt a wash of heat flood over her. It was all the fault of that blasted hug. She should have known to leave well enough alone. Now she had Stephen groping her in his sleep and she had to admit it felt bloody good, even if he didn't know what he was doing.

She moved fractionally to test just how heavy a sleeper he was, but he didn't stir, probably worn out after wrestling the worms. Thinking about the worms inevitably led her mind to think of his other attributes, an experimental wriggle of her bottom bringing her into contact with his lower body and the evidence that even though Stephen might be out for the count, his body was ready to have a little fun. The hard length of him fit snugly up against her bottom, triggering her own body to start preparing for what it hoped was a long overdue session of mad, passionate lovemaking.

She had to bite her lip to prevent herself from squirming to relieve the ache between her legs, her thighs wanting to chafe together to provide friction, Abby quite sure that she was blushing from head to toe she felt so hot. She must have moved, however hard she tried not to, Stephen letting go a deep sigh, his fingers flexing around her breast while his hips pushed his erection even further against the cleft of Abby's bottom making her whimper at the injustice of life. She was so caught up in her body's needs she started to plot ways to provide the friction she needed to bring herself off without waking him, lust inspired visions occupying her minds eye as she moved to press her breast more fully against his hand.

Tiny movements of her hips moved her bottom enough to keep him prisoner against her bum, her brain wishing that the fabric barriers between them would spontaneously evaporate to bring them skin to skin. She even started to think of strategies to have her wicked way with his anatomy without him being aware of it, all such thoughts doomed to failure, but fun to think about.

She was in a fever of arousal, her body begging her to take advantage, while her brain argued the opposite, leaving her nearly weeping in frustration, Stephen not helping by shifting in his sleep, pressing his lean length against her, his hand not releasing its grip on her now overly sensitive breast. She pictured his mouth doing diabolical things to her nipples, while his generously proportioned anatomy did its best to douse the fire burning out of control in her knickers, biology was ambushing sanity and leaving no room for anything less than surrender.

Her hands itched to touch him, feel him even through his shorts. The urge to touch herself becoming more and more insistent. She didn't know how much she'd been fidgeting until she realized that the body curled around her was no longer in a state of unconsciousness. Stephen was awake.

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Stephen lay for several second absorbing where he was, the room a bit stuffy but smelling of the warm body curled trustingly within the shelter of his own. His hand seemed to have found its way, once again, around her body and settled about one plump breast, his thumb automatically moving to brush over the hard pebble at its peak. Previously, the nipple had remained soft and unresponsive, but now it was hard, so different from the surrounding flesh, it intrigued him. Abby moved, only slightly to be sure, but enough to draw his sleep fuddled attention away from her breast and concentrate fiercely on what was happening between his legs. Mentally groaning, he couldn't resist pushing his hard body against the snug cleft of her bottom, Abby imperceptibly pushing back to meet him in an exquisite move that left him wanting more. More contact, more movement, more everything. His heart rate was picking up, his breathing becoming laboured as he focused everything on the contact between them, his hand minding its own business and continuing to fondle and tease, adding to his sensory overload. This was so much better than when they'd hugged, but it was also so much worse, a need building inside that demanded something more.

Abby couldn't stop moving to save her life, even the shock of knowing that Stephen was now awake couldn't stop her body from writhing against him, pushing back when he pushed forward, her body starting to heat up to volcanic levels with the slow tease, his thumb adding to her delirium by brushing repeatedly over her hard nipple, the touch both gentle and insistent. She knew in some small corner of her lust hazed brain that she should stop this, but it had been so long and her body wasn't passing up this opportunity to fulfil its biological imperative with the apparently willing participant behind her. But still she remained facing away from him, moving only slightly, Stephen matching her rhythm with never a word or vocal sound between them.

She vaguely wondered if he even knew what was happening between them, or whether he was afraid of the feeling undoubtedly consuming his body. Did she really want to be his first experience of sex with a female? The very thought sending a spike of desire from her breast to her core.

Stephen burrowed his nose into Abby's short hair, inhaling deeply. She smelt so good, his skin heating as he continued his slow movements against her, something coiling in his gut and making him moan under his breath with how good it felt. With that small sound, he felt Abby slow all her squirming. Suddenly his body convulsed, his first climax spiking through him like a bolt of electricity, leaving him gasping in shocked surprise. Abby had stilled, knowing full well what had happened,

"Abby?" His sleep roughened whispered question sent shivers down her spine. "I think......something just happened...."

She shifted to turn herself over to face him, her hand finding his mouth in the dark, her fingers pressing against his lips to stop him speaking. His hand now rested on her hip, already moving in small circles, smoothing over her flank back and forth.

"You just had a climax," Abby explained, biting her lip at the incongruity of her explaining to a fully grown man what his own body was doing.

"I'm wet."

"It's just a small amount of fluid that your body emits when you reach an orgasm."

"A what?"

"Another word for climax."

"Oh." A small silence built between them, then he spoke again. "How do I make it happen again?"

Abby smiled to herself, her fingers tracing the outline of his lips as she pondered her answer. Was ever a girl given such an opportunity? Even though his eyes were in shadow, she knew he was waiting and watching intently.

Abby reached a decision, her clamouring senses overwhelming her normal, cool headed logic.

With her fingers once more pressed against his mouth, she trailed her free hand down over his collar bone, gently touching his chest, dancing over his ribs, eventually to rest her palm against the erection once more straining to free itself from his shorts. His lips parted under her fingers when he gasped at the contact through the damp material, his hips jerking to bring him more fully into her hand. She didn't move her hand or make to handle him, just kept her hand there, feeling the heat roiling off his body.

"Stephen.....what do you know about sex between a man and a woman?"

He had difficulty focusing on her words, and his tongue felt completely uncoordinated, but he tried his best to answer her query with some sort of coherent answer.

"Read about it, but never.....ur....never....."

"Done it?" Abby finished for him.

"No. Abby? Do you think you could move your hand a little?"

She couldn't help the smile from breaking out at his hopeful request.

"I could, but it might lead to something you might not be ready for."

"Please.....it feels so......please....this is so much better than what we were doing before."

She moved her hand and he arched, pressing himself forward to maximize the contact. His hand clenched on her hip in wordless appreciation of her move.

For several seconds she stroked him through his shorts, thrilling to the feel of him, the length and breadth of him, his reactions both physical and vocal to what was only a precursor to the main event. At length she slowed her hand, bringing Stephen's attention back to her.

"Stephen. I – I need to know if you want to do this, no listen." She sealed his mouth with her finger tips again when he made to speak. "This is something you would have learnt about in the normal course of growing up, but you missed out on all that..." She bit her lip, hating that she sounded like some prissy school teacher giving her first sex education class. "You have to understand that this is a once only thing. If we do this, we can't sleep together anymore...."

"Why not?" Stephen asked, his hand coming up to pull hers away from his mouth.

"Because....because people don't do, what we might be doing, without being in a relationship first." She winced, thinking how hypocritical that sounded, knowing as she did that people did one night stands with monotonous regularity. She drew in a breath to focus her thoughts.

"But you said we were friends....doesn't that mean we're in a relationship?" His long fingers massaging hers between them.

"Well....yes, but friends don't usually have sex with each other."

She tried to ignore his hand which was still painting circles on her hip and thigh.

"So you haven't done this with Connor or Nick?"

"No....no, I haven't done this with any of the people I work with, or that I call my friends." She ignored the voice inside her head asking her about her previous partners, all of whom started out as her friends first and lovers later.

Stephen felt a surge of some unnamed emotion when she confirmed that she hadn't had sex with Connor or Nick or any of the security force.

"I don't want to stop sleeping with you Abby.....and I don't want you to stop doing what you were doing either."

Abby let out a gusty sigh, realizing belatedly that she'd well and truly painted herself into a corner. It wasn't Stephen's fault that he knew none of the social conventions surrounding sex and relationships, and she had made a mull of everything explaining it to him. All she could be sure of, was the fact that despite the peculiar conversation, his body hadn't softened one whit, and that she felt that if something wasn't done soon, she'd burst into flames and be nothing more than ashes in the morning.

It was only sex after all, a biological function as basic as eating and breathing. Did she really have to justify it or make such a huge deal about it? Wasn't she over thinking the whole issue? It wasn't as if she was going to hurt him, or make the experience anything other than pleasant for the both of them, plus pregnancy wasn't an issue with her being on the pill. A brief spasm of conscience raised the issue of condoms, but her last physical has been clear, and she was his first.

"Look....I know I'm making a hash of this, but I just wanted to be sure you knew what you were doing before we....did it."

"I want to do it Abby....with you.....if you'll show me?"

Abby gulped. This was the point of no return, this was where she either gave in to the very primal urge screaming at her to jump this man's bones, or she pulled back and they tried to put things back onto a purely platonic basis.

Hell, who was she kidding.

"Alright.....first some ground rules. Sex if all about making your partner feel good and taking pleasure in the act yourself, so we'll take it slow and you tell me if anything is uncomfortable or you don't like it, okay?"

"Okay."

"And Stephen.....sex involves the whole body, not just the bits that fit together, but finding out that any part of the body can be stimulated, by touch and taste with hands or mouth. You've never kissed anyone have you?"

"No."

"Then we'll start there and see how we go." Feeling an excitement build within her, Abby brought her face close to his, her mouth hitting slightly off centre to kiss him on the lips. It was chaste, and sweet and completely lacking in passion. She tried again, this time Stephen responding so that they slid, lip to lip and explored the new textures of each other. Again Abby pulled back, drawing in a much needed breath.

"This time open your mouth a little," she instructed, bringing her mouth into contact with him, finding him just as she'd asked, her tongue tentatively sweeping across his full, lower lip before darting inside to meet his. This time the kiss lasted a great deal longer, Stephen catching on to the lesson in double quick time, Abby soon finding that the pupil was rapidly overtaking his teacher and making a credible fist of kissing for the first time.

As delightful as the necking session was, she desperately wanted to take the next step, reluctantly pulling away from his marvellous mouth to issue her next instruction.

Breathless she tilted her head back. "Stephen....too many clothes...."

He pulled back and stared at her for a heartbeat, before roughly pulling his undershirt over his head, his damp shorts quickly following while Abby did the same.

Now there was nothing between them but heat, Stephen seeking and finding her mouth in the semi darkness, his hands stroking over her shoulders down to her breasts making her arch into his hands to bring them closer. This was what she's been aching for, to feel him skin to skin, the rough hairs on his arms ticking her ribs, his fingers cupping and stroking her naked breasts, his legs tangling with hers to bring them groin to groin, his mouth blazing a trail everywhere at once.

Good Lord, she had died and gone to heaven.

She'd half expected him to barely fumble his way around her body, the way she'd expect any virgin male to be, but this was Stephen, unfettered by social mores or indoctrinated expectations, exploring her body with a ruthless thoroughness, but with such infinite tenderness that she simply melted and let him do whatever he wanted with her.

"You're so different," he whispered, "you feel so soft and smell so good."

His honest compliments went straight to her ego, Abby stretching to give him access to everywhere, an invitation he exploited eagerly, his mouth lavishing attention on her breasts, while his hands wandered finally to the one place she needed attention more than any other. Pausing to stroke the soft curls at the juncture of her thighs, he carried on, slipping questing fingers between her legs to spread the slick moisture within and explore female physiology for the first time.

Abby purred, her own greedy hands finding him again and stroking the hot length of him, smearing the head with his pre-cum, making it like slick velvet. They were rapidly approaching the stage of full coitus, Stephen moving to cover her body with her urgings, his cock nestled against her downy hairs, rubbing back and forth, her hips setting up a rhythm as they gyrated together. He was back to kissing her again, plunging his tongue into her mouth in a frenzy, mirroring their lower bodies and the joining to come. Abby reached down between them and wrapped her fingers about his hard length, Stephen stilling above her as she manoeuvred his flesh and tilted her hips to seat him at the entrance of her body.

Stephen quivered as he felt his rigid flesh enter hers via the slick opening he'd found between her legs. Where her hands had felt wonderful, this was taking things to an entirely different level, Abby tilting her body and spreading her legs, wrapping her thighs about his hips and urging him forward so that his entire length sank deep inside her, melding them together with such an incredible feeling, he could only shudder in delirious pleasure when he could go no further.

That was, until she started to move, forcing him to pull out then push back in, his hips setting up a pace that heightened his already sensitive body, until he thought he was surely going to fly out of his skin, or expire on the spot. Whatever he was doing, Abby seemed to like it because she started moaning and making noises that shot straight to his cock, his hips working faster as she encouraged him on. Braced on his elbows, he used his mouth on her pert breasts, Abby arching up with a cry to meet him, grinding her lower body against him, her heels digging into his buttocks so that his thrusts seemed to bury him deeper and deeper each time.

The coiling heat in his guts and the tingling in his balls announced that the same something as before was going to happen, the sudden tightening of Abby's inner muscles causing his body to give one last monumental thrust before spasming into a shuddering series of jerky movements, his lips pulled back from his teeth in a rictus of pleasure and pain, his body suffused with the sensation of flames licking up and down his spine.

Z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z

Abby clutched at his arms, her body arcing like a bow as he plunged himself repeated into her body, her legs melding his body to hers, as her orgasm rocketed ever onwards, peaking suddenly and washing over her, a cry wrung from her throat at the mind numbing pleasure of it. Stephen followed her over the edge a second or two later, her head pressed back against the pillows as she rode the spasms rippling through her nether regions, her fingers now buried in the bunched sheets either side of her glowing body.

She was definitely in heaven. Sinking bonelessly into the mattress, she relaxed her legs and just embraced the lassitude following a really good fuck, her heart racing in her chest, her breathing erratic at best.

Stephen seemed to be in a similar situation, he head resting on her collar bone, the occasional jerk of an aftershock making him quiver against and inside her. She could feel the thrum of his heartbeat, his chest touching hers every time he took a breath. Unclenching her hands, she brought them up to smooth over his back and shoulders, stroking his hair and generally soothing him, bringing him back to earth after what must have been quite an experience. For a novice, he had excelled himself, Abby one very well satisfied woman.

Stephen could still feel her body clenching around him, the movements small but perceptible. He could honestly say that he had never felt anything that came close to what had just happened. He lifted his head and pressed a damp kiss to the skin below, Abby's hands stroking his head soothingly, her body completely relaxed and open beneath his. After two shattering orgasms, he was surprised to find he was still hard inside her, the sensation of being buried in her body too wonderful for him to want it to end. Tentatively he moved, pulling out a little way before pushing back in to seat himself snug against her. Abby didn't voice a protest so he did it again, his overly sensitized flesh welcoming the excess of fluids that eased his passage in and out of her body.

His mouth found hers and they exchanged lazy, nibbling kisses, his lower body keeping up a steady, but slow pace, Abby letting him do all the work while her hands stroked and smoothed over his skin, pressing and massaging the muscles as he moved, her lips and tongue keeping him busy.

Abby decided that he knew enough of the basics to try another position. Her hands stilling his hips while she told him what she wanted him to do. Slipping out of her body, he waited for her to get comfortable on her side, then positioned himself behind her, as he'd been when he'd first awoken, Abby lifting her leg so that he could enter her from behind, the angle providing a new sensation of pressure as her bottom fitted neatly against his groin and he thrust up into her. His hands found her breasts and she lent back against him, allowing him free access to fondle and explore, one of his hands reaching over her belly, then further down to comb through her nether curls and seek out her body where they joined.

Feeling himself entering and leaving her body was a thrill in itself, Abby's hand coming down to cover his and guide him to where she needed him to be, his fingers finding her sensitive spot, her gasps and sighs telling him when he got the pressure just right. With her head thrown back on his shoulder, he used his mouth on her neck, lapping at the fragrant skin and mouthing it tenderly.

Before long the heat was once more pooling in his balls, his breathing harsh as he increased his pace, his hands holding Abby firmly against his chest, his feet bracing against the bed to push himself harder and faster inside her until, once more, his body exploded in a hail of tingling sparks, his heart racing as he emptied himself, her inner muscles clenching around him, evidence of her own orgasm.

Exhausted, he didn't move, content to cuddle Abby and remain exactly where he was, his softening sex still encased in her molten core, the blankets snagged with his free hand to cover them both. With the slowing of his heart rate, he quickly slipped into sleep, Abby's soft breathing echoing his own as dawn light started to creep around the curtains on the far side of the hotel room.

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	7. Moving Right Along

Title: Sum of His Parts

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: Seven – Moving Right Along

Rating: PG15 - just a teeny bit of skin.

Pairing: Stabby

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Connor yawned and stretched, slowly prising his eyes open to greet the watery sunshine spearing through the floral curtains. His gaze couldn't avoid the very empty single bed that he shared a room with, the intended occupant unlikely to have seen the bed, and certainly not slept in it.

He hadn't noticed when he'd finally dragged himself up the stairs, after being woken by the landlord to find that he was alone, the others already gone to bed, that Stephen wasn't in the bed, Connor's eyes already shut before he hit the pillows. It was only when he had to get up to use the bathroom that it became apparent that Connor was alone in the room.

He huffed and tried to recapture the sleep rapidly draining away with each minute. It was no good, he was going to have to go and wake Abby before anyone else got up, to avoid any embarrassment with them finding out that Stephen had slept with her.

At home it wasn't a problem, Connor understanding that the whole arrangement was not as it seemed. On a purely male level he was a little bit jealous – alright, a whole lot jealous - that Stephen had somehow managed to inveigle his way into her bed the first night he was there, while Connor had been singularly unsuccessful in all the years he and Abby had been flatmate's together. That alone should have told him that his romantic allusions about Abby were doomed, without her pointing it out to him.

Groaning, he all but fell out of bed and slopped along to the bathroom to relieve himself. Yawning widely, he pulled a jumper over his t-shirt and sweatpants and left his room to act as Abby's unofficial, and unrequested, wake up call.

Leaning his head against her room door he softly knocked, repeating the gesture when he got no response from the occupants. After his third attempt he tried the handle, surprised to find it unlocked. Slowly he eased the catch, wincing when it clicked, before pushing the door open and slipping into the room. It was darker in this room, the windows not facing the rising sun as his were. Creeping up to the bed, he could see the bodies under the blankets, but didn't know which was which in the dim light. Cursing his luck, he made his way over to the window and pulled the curtain back a bit, to let in some light. Turning around he clapped his hand over his mouth to avoid making a sound and gazed at the lovers, for that was the only description he could think of at the time to fit what lay before him.

The covers were pushed down on this side of the bed, Abby closest to the edge with Stephen probably welded to her back he was so close. His arm was around her naked torso, his hand negligently cupping Abby's breast in an intimate embrace, the very fact that they were obviously both quite naked answering the question of whether they were only sleeping together or more. Stephen's other arm was acting as a pillow for Abby, her head thrown back while his nestled in the crook of her shoulder, blond meshing with dark brown, the whole positioning of their bodies screaming a night spent indulging in carnal pleasures.

Embarrassed to the core of his being, Connor sidled away from the bed, around the end and as fast as he could to the door. Only then did he remove his hand from his mouth, to blow out a gusty breath that bordered on a whistle. Carefully shutting the hotel door behind him, he made to return to his room only to find himself toe to toe with Nick Cutter, the man arching a fair brow in inquiry at Connor.

"Oh.....um....you're probably wondering...er.....yes...er no, you shouldn't...mustn't think that Abby and I....that we....." He gaped like a goldfish, wincing to hear himself while Cutter looked on in amusement. "She wanted a wake up call," he finished lamely, giving the Professor a sickly grin.

"And did you?" Cutter asked, letting the younger man squirm.

"Did what?" Connor shuffled his feet, wanting to get as far from Abby's room as possible.

"Wake her up!"

"Um.......no." Connor waved his hands about. "She looked so peaceful, I didn't have the heart to disturb her."

"Well we're not here on a holiday Connor....I'll give her a shout myself..."

"NO!" Connor leapt in front of Nick, his arms spread wide to prevent the older man from reaching the door handle. Cutter raised both eyebrows and made to push past Connor, the younger man frantic to prevent him. In the end, age won out and Nick managed to wrestle Connor away from the door, entering the shadowed bedroom but only entering a short distance before turning on his heel and marching right out again.

"You idiot....why didn't you say something!" Hands on hips, Cutter glared at a cringing Connor, who could only shrug.

"How long?"

Connor shifted uncomfortably. "I think this might have been the first time...... they only sleep together at home.."

"Connor!"

"Look....What can I say? Stephen's a fast mover!"

"Dammit.....Lester is going to have a fit!" Nick raked his hand through his hair, his back to the door to Abby's room. "Bloody hell."

Connor stuffed his hands in his pockets and kept silent. Nick eventually looked up. "Go get dressed. Leave this for me to sort out. And not a word to anyone!"

Connor made a motion as if he was zipping his lips before darting back to his own room to get changed. Nick remained where he was in the corridor, his mind turning over his options, the sounds of the pub-hotel coming to life making up his mind. Returning to his own room, he sat at the dressing table that doubled as a desk, and wrote a message to Abby on a sheet of the hotel note paper.

Returning to Abby's room, note in hand, he slipped inside and placed the folded paper where it could be seen clearly, then he left, slamming the door shut to make sure one or the other awoke. Then he made his way down the corridor to the staircase, heading downstairs to see if breakfast was available.

Z Z Z

Abby heard the door bang and squinted at the light coming through the window, wondering why the curtain was pulled back. She sat up on her elbow, Stephen shifting against her back, his arm sliding down her torso and coming to rest on her hip, warm and heavy. Wiggling around she found herself staring into a pair of sleepy blue eyes.

"Good morning."

"Hello." His lopsided grin and tousled hair proved irresistible, so she kissed him on the top of his head.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Abby asked.

Stephen stretched, the muscles and sinews of his arms flexing and coiling as he tested the limits of his limbs. "Bloody fantastic." Was his final verdict.

Abby smiled. Truth be told, she was a little sore from protesting muscles, the ache a pleasant reminder of the night. "It's time we got up. Nick and Connor will probably be down at breakfast and wondering what's keeping us. You'd better get along to Connor's room, have a shower and get dressed."

"Okay." Dropping a kiss on one feminine rounded shoulder, he unwound himself from the bed covers and stood up on the far side of the bed, stretching again and giving Abby a ring side view of his long back, the smooth skin rippling as he moved. Completely unabashed, he gathered up his discarded clothing and put it on before padding out of the room , leaving Abby still sitting on the side of the bed. She shook her head, wondering if she should have reminded him not to speak about what they'd done with Connor, but then she replayed in her head exactly what they had done, and all thoughts of regarding the incident as a one-off were discarded.

What she had experienced last night was something she wanted to repeat again and again. To hell with the ethics or morals of it, Stephen was just too wonderful for her to blithely let him slip through her fingers. Damn the consequences, she wanted that man in her bed, doing what he did, as frequently as she could make it happen. She felt wicked and positively amoral and very thoroughly satisfied, a state she hadn't found herself in, if ever. Just how she was going to achieve this impossible task, she didn't know, but she would, some how.

Feeling a burst of energy burn away the last vestiges of sleep, she hopped out of the rumpled bed and sauntered to the en suite, turning the shower on full blast and revelling in the spray as it sluiced all over her. Minutes later she was sitting on the end of the bed, wrapped in towels and reading Nick's note, her air castles and pipe dreams all bursting as she read, and re-read, the words written on the plain sheet of paper.

Tossing the note aside, she hurriedly scrubbed at her short hair until it stood up in spikes then roughly towelled herself dry. In a matter of moments she had donned her jeans and top, throwing on her leather jacket and lacing up her boots before racing out of the room and down the stairs.

Cutter was sitting at a table calmly reading a local paper, cup of coffee in hand. Abby slipped into the chair opposite and waited.

"Morning Abby, sleep well?" Nick glanced up from the paper and raised his expressive eyebrows.

"What are you going to do?"

"What do you want me to do? I have to say I'm surprised at this turn of events, but maybe I shouldn't have been. He bonded with you on first sight, and I could blame myself for throwing him at you to look after."

"Professor......it's not like it looks."

"You mean you and Stephen didn't make love last night?" He gave her a frankly disbelieving look, and Abby felt the heat painting her cheeks scarlet.

"Just as I thought," Nick continued, folding the paper and putting it to one side. "Look, I'm not your father, you're a big girl and your decisions about your private life are your own. But did you think about what this would do to just our group? Let alone how it might affect Stephen and his ability to continue to work with us all?"

Abby scrubbed at her face. "I know...I know....I didn't mean for it to happen, but you said yourself, he'd bonded with me...and...and...well, he's been kind of sleeping with me, at least in my bed."

"Connor mentioned something about that," Nick ignored Abby's inelegant gape as she absorbed her friends apparent betrayal. "I'm just surprised, you know?"

"You and me both," Abby muttered. "I never intended it to go this far, but it has, but there's no reason why it should affect anything?" She ignored Nick's sceptical expression. "I'm not even sure that Stephen really understands the implications of what happened. Mind you, I'm not sure that doesn't make everything worse rather than better. Oh God, what a mess." Abby folded her arms on the edge of the table dropped her head onto them, and groaned.

Nick looked past her and saw Connor and Stephen wending their way over to their table. Connor looked wary, but Stephen looked relaxed and unaffected, meeting Nick's steady gaze with no hint of guilt or gloating in his blue eyes. The two younger men pulled out chairs and sat down, Stephen next to Abby who raised her head and gave him a small smile. Stephen grinned back with the full force of his considerable, is unconsciously wielded, charisma, Abby blinking at him for a second or two before turning back to face Nick, who was slowly shaking his head in amusement.

His Stephen had never wanted the attention his looks garnered, preferring to ignore the looks and stares that sometimes followed him. The grin that Nick has just witnessed, and its potency, was almost never seen because of the inevitable fall out and unwanted infatuations left in its wake. But this new Stephen, who carried no history, no baggage of past liaisons or mismanaged affairs, was able to show his emotions without fear of having them rejected or misinterpreted. If his observations were on the money, Abby was already head over heels in love with the young man, and quite likely Stephen was similarly engaged, despite probably not knowing it due to his unique circumstances. He was happy for them, but also worried.

His Stephen had died sacrificing himself to save them all, the nature of what they did a dangerous and potentially deadly occupation. Certainly they had more back up now, more security to prevent a repeat of that tragedy, but they were still putting themselves in danger with each and every anomaly. That said, would he have expected Stephen to have behaved differently if he'd been romantically attached to Abby or Jenny? He had to say no, and was it likely that Stephen would be any less protective of his team mates if they only remained friends? The answer was still no. They were already bound by loyalty, friendship and shared experience, and if Stephen was anything at all like his source material, he'd be as loyal and protective whether they were friends or complete strangers, it was just the nature of the man.

Coming to a decision, he cleared his throat, drawing the attention of other three to him.

"Right....well. What's done is done. We have to get ourselves back to the ARC and write up what happened yesterday with the anomaly. So sort out breakfast, then get packed." He checked his watch. "I expect us to be out of here by ten." Picking up his neglected coffee cup, Nick got up and sauntered back to the breakfast buffet to refresh his drink.

At the table, Abby stared in some surprise at Stephen and Connor.

Connor shrugged. "Guess he's not going to kick up a fuss after all."

Stephen turned his head to give Connor a look. "Why would he 'kick up a fuss'?"

"Ah....well.....you see....it's not exactly company policy for workmates to sleep together, and it could have caused some problems with our boss."

Stephen turned back and spoke to Abby. "Is it going to cause problems? Is it because Lester wants to be sleeping with you too?"

Abby felt her jaw hang open for several seconds before she snapped it shut. "Go get yourself some breakfast Connor, Stephen and I need to talk."

"Sure, fine....whatever," Connor muttered, thankful not to be the one doing the explaining.

Before Abby could speak, Stephen leant in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I liked what we did last night. When can we do it again?"

His low voiced question sent a bolt of pure want right through her, the cave-woman in her wanting to drag him out of the room and up those stairs, then not come out of the hotel room for a week. Instead she shut her eyes momentarily, to blot out his bedroom eyes and bring her tumultuous pulse under control. Licking her dry lips, she swallowed hard before speaking. "Only at night....and only at home. Never, ever at work or when we're out or at an anomaly site." She blew out a breath and tried to gauge his reaction.

Stephen looked disappointed and a little perplexed, but the furrow between his brows quickly cleared and he gave her a sunny smile. "Only at home and only at night. Okay."

Blinking at the ease with which he accepted her conditions, Abby wondered briefly if he would always be so compliant, and if he would do anything that she asked him, the prospect raising goosebumps as the cave-woman resurfaced with a list of lustful ideas for taking advantage of such willingness. Mentally shoving the cave-woman to the back of her thoughts, she smiled back at him.

"That's sorted then. Friends and work mates during the day......" The furrow had appeared between his brows again and she left the rest of what she was going to say unfinished. "What is it?"

"What we did last night....is it that way for everyone?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'that way'?" Abby hedged, not entirely sure of the direction he was going.

"I can't describe it really....I don't know the words you use."

Lifting her hand, Abby smoothed the furrow with her thumb, a wave of tenderness making her eyes sting. Stephen really was quite possibly the sweetest man on earth. "Then let me tell you what I think about what we did." Lowering her hand, she traced the outline of his lips. "Last night was just perfect. You did everything right and I can't wait until we are home, so we can do it all again."

"Perfect," Stephen repeated, his eyes reflecting a heat that made Abby want to melt on the spot. "Is it dark yet?"

It took a moment for his joke to sink in but then she laughed, Stephen grinning at her with such a look of smug satisfaction that she could only laugh louder. Eventually she calmed down and gave him a saucy look. "Not for hours, mores the pity."

Z Z Z

By the time they returned to the ARC it was midday, and paperwork was waiting to be completed. Abby, Connor and Nick retired to their respective desks to finish the essential, if tedious, part of their jobs, Stephen the only one to be excluded, his presence requested at yet another psych evaluation, a debrief of his first time out in the field.

Abby had difficulty concentrating, worrying about Stephen and the results of the latest evaluation, wondering if the change in their relationship would be a factor while raging inwardly at Lester for being so suspicious of the newest member of their team. Lunch passed her by and it was mid afternoon before she saw him again, Stephen entering the ARC in the company of Captain Becker, the two good looking men laughing at some joke or other.

Abby felt a twinge of something twist inside her, the uncomfortable feeling leaving as quickly as it arrived when Stephen walked over to her desk, his eyes only on her. Abby saved her work and stood up, meeting his gaze and wishing they were somewhere other than in the middle of the ARC and under scrutiny from half the staff.

"Hey!" She kept her tone light and breezy, unable to stop the flush from turning her cheeks pink, but determined to maintain a platonic appearance to anyone watching. "How was it?"

Stephen shrugged, his eyes still holding hers. "I didn't tell them."

Abby blinked. "Oh....alright.....apart from that, is everything okay?"

Stephen opened his mouth to answer but alarms started to sound, the ADD warning lights flashing continuously. Connor was already at the console, his fingers dancing over the different keyboards as he pinpointed the latest anomaly incursion.

Nick appeared through the swing doors, his quick glance over to Abby and Stephen, indicating for them to join him beside the ADD. Connor sensed the team behind him and didn't bother to turn his head, one hand reaching out to slap at the button to switch off the alarms, leaving only the flashing lights to alert everyone to be on standby.

"Where is it, Connor?" Nick asked, scanning the screens.

"Off shore."

"What?" Nick leant in closer, reading the co-ordinates.

"Our very first off shore anomaly. Here....." Connor pointed to a geographical map of the British Isles on one of the screens, his finger indicating an area just north of Liverpool in the Irish Sea. "It's very near to the Isle of Man, according to this."

"But it's in the ocean, not on land?" Nick asked for clarification, his hand absently rubbing at his chin.

"That's where the signal is coming from," Connor replied.

"What do we know about the area, other than it's next door to the Isle of Man?"

"Um....."Connor tapped away for a few seconds before the image of an oil rig popped up on one of the screens. "Well, there's the BHP Petroleum Douglas Complex – a three platform monitoring plant that overseas three more satellite, unmanned processing platforms. Also numerous ferries and other shipping that goes between Liverpool, Dublin and Douglas on the island. There are exclusion zones about the platforms monitored by patrols and radar."

"They would be helpful in pinpointing this anomaly. Do we know how strong it is?"

"Level eight on the scale," Connor relayed, peering at his read outs.

"Big. I guess it's too much to ask if it's above or below?"

Connor shook his head. "Sorry, visuals would be the only way to determine that."

"What about satellite imagery?"

"Nothing on Google, and I'd need some pretty high level permission, or a hack to use anything else."

Nick laid a hand on Connor's shoulder. "Keep monitoring, we'll need all the Intel you can give us."

Nick turned away and faced Stephen and Abby, who had been listening in on the exchange. "Looks like we're off to the Irish Sea, so pack warm."

Z Z Z Z


	8. In The Thick of It

Title: Sum of His Parts

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: Eight - In the Thick of It

Rating: PG13

Pairing: Stabby

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Abby gritted her teeth against the shaking of the Bell jet-ranger helicopter as they flew low over the white flecked sea, towards one of the unmanned satellite platforms dotting the expanse of ocean between the north of the Wales, and the Isle of Man.

They had already endured a bone shaking ride from London up to Liverpool, there changing from the military, to a private Government contract company to take them onwards. Now, several hours since leaving London, they were approaching the site of the anomaly, the satellite platform to act as a staging post for exploration, containment, and capture of anything that had come, or would come through before the anomaly shut.

They had yet to establish if it was above or below the water, the gear packed reflecting the need to cover all the bases. It was late in the day and the sun was disappearing fast behind a bank of clouds building up in the west. Abby wanted to close her eyes and shut out the sight of the sickly yellow cast of the sky beyond the salt streaked windows, but that only made her nausea worse. Peering out of her window, she could just make out the twin of the helicopter they were travelling in, the second aircraft shadowing their own and carrying their support team in the form of Captain Becker and a handful of his best men.

Their helicopter only carried her team and the company pilot, who had remained uncommunicative throughout the flight. Nick was beside her, with Connor and Stephen opposite, the two younger men seemingly oblivious to the noise and vibration as they pored over Connor's lap top, Stephen getting a crash course in oil rigs and oceans. She had largely ignored her friends' incessant chatter and endless speculation, his and Stephen's voice almost unintelligible over the head phones they all wore.

Suddenly her ear microphone crackled into life. "Five minutes to landing. Please secure all unsecured items, and prepare to leave the aircraft as soon as we touch down. Thank you."

Abby watched as Connor repacked his lap top then checked his seat belt, Stephen flashing her an excited grin as he did the same check over, before craning to see out the window and the rig fast coming towards them. She felt Nick squeeze her hand briefly, Abby turning her head to give him a grateful smile just seconds before they felt the helicopter start to drop down, her stomach doing flip flops before they landed heavily on the helipad on top of the rig.

Aware that they had to clear the pad for the next helicopter to land, they piled out and quickly disgorged their gear, leaving it in a heap and standing clear as their pilot took off, dust and bit of debris flying all around them and making them shield their faces. The second craft landed and the special ops team scrambled out in an orderly fashion, quickly unloading their own supplies before waving the helicopter off to follow the other, which was now not much more than a speck in the evening sky.

A man in a hard hat appeared over the edge of the wide platform, his dirty overalls buffeted by the strong wind blowing, his raised arm beckoning the soldiers and civilians to hurry on over.

They barely had time to look around and appreciate the view, before they were being led down a series of metal frame stairs, the sound of the waves booming far below as they trooped into a large room and dropped their assorted baggage on the well used, lino covered floor.

The harsh light of the neons did little to soften the stark décor, or hide the scuffs and marks on the walls and furniture. This was a place of few compromises and little comfort.

Nick was shaking hands with the man who had met them, "Nick Cutter."

"Richard Jones.....call me Rick." His hard hat was now off, revealing a shock of grey hair and a face creased with lines. He had a lilting welsh accent that somehow went with his rugged features and well worn appearance.

"What can you tell us, Rick?"

The man laughed. "First things first....let me show you were you can stow your gear, plus the sleeping quarters." He looked over apologetically at Abby. "I'm sorry Miss, but it's pretty rough here. There's no separate accommodation or facilities for a woman on the rig."

Abby gave him a thin smile, weary to the bone from the travelling "I'll manage, just as long as it's fairly quiet, and nothing vibrates too violently."

Rick grinned back at her, before giving Nick a wink and turning to lead them further into the complex. Abby wanted to wilt into one of the hard looking chairs and never get up, but Stephen came up beside her and wrapped a strong arm about her waist, Abby grateful to lean her head against his shoulder for a second while the others had their backs turned. Unfortunately she'd forgotten about Becker and his men, the special ops team sharing a knowing look, before a frown from their Captain cleared their faces of any expression.

The living quarters were sparse and communal, for the most part. Rick showed Abby a tiny, cramped room that she could have to herself, the single bed looking narrow and not particularly comfortable. While the others sorted out who would be sleeping where, she sat on the side of her mattress and contemplated the walls of her room which barely equated to the size of a large wardrobe. Rick returned with a pile of sheets and blankets, apologizing again for the lack of separate accommodation, Abby waving him away, too tired to care.

The distant boom of the waves pounding against the legs of the rig structure seemed to form a background hum that wasn't altogether unpleasant, Abby plumping up the pillows before laying her head down, not bothering to unpack or even make the bed. When Stephen poked his head in to see how she was, Abby was sound asleep, her booted feet tucked up and her cheek pillowed on her hand.

It was obvious there was never going to be any room for him with her, so he looked back into the communal dorm room and decided to find them an alternative. Becker had gone to quiz Rick about the tides and currents around the rig, while Nick and Connor were setting up his portable anomaly detector in a corner of the common room back along the hallway. The remaining special ops men were making themselves useful in the well equipped kitchen, whipping up an evening meal for everyone.

Stephen got busy pushing two of the single cots together, having rearranged the furniture to make a very small screen between the now double bed, and the rest of the room. He knew that Abby had said they couldn't do what they did last night while on the job, but that didn't mean they couldn't sleep together, did it? The thought of not having her to go to sleep with, and wake up to, was something he'd rather not think about at all. Instead he made it possible so that Abby could choose, either to carry on sleeping in the tiny room on that narrow bed, or sleep, and only sleep, with him. He hoped she'd choose him.

With the bed made up and covered with everything needed to make it as comfortable as he could, he re-entered Abby's cramped quarters, its occupant as dead to the world as it was possible. Careful not to wake her, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the new bed, laying her down against the sheet. Abby didn't stir when he removed her boots and socks, and even her soft leggings, before pulling the covers over her and leaving her to sleep. By simply taking out the strip light that served that area of the room, he was able to leave the other lights on but have Abby in the half light, beyond his makeshift barrier. Satisfied, he left her to sleep, going to join Nick and Connor for something to eat.

Nick looked up when he entered. "Is she alright?"

"Sleeping. I made some changes. I hope she likes what I've done."

Connor looked up and gave Nick a raised eyebrow, before returning to his absorption in his lap top.

"I'm sure whatever you've done will be fine with her," said Nick.

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It was full dark when Abby stirred at last, her bare legs moving restlessly against the crisp sheets, her arms stretching up above her head as she turned over to stare up at the ceiling. She frowned at the empty light fitting above her head, then realization dawned that she was no longer in the tiny room allocated to her. Instead she was lying in the equivalent of a double bed, with several metal storage units pushed together to limit her view of the rest of the room. The two small windows set into the walls told her she'd slept at least for a couple of hours, her memory belatedly reminding her that she had been wearing all her clothes when she'd lain down before, and now she was not. She relaxed back against the pillows, sure in the knowledge that Stephen had somehow had a hand in all of it, but a little shocked that she'd somehow slept through it all. Her stomach rumbled and she suddenly felt ravenous. Sliding out from between the sheets, she pulled on her leggings and stamped into her socks and boots before making her way out of the bunk room and along the corridor, to where she hoped the others were.

Stephen, Nick, Connor and Becker were playing a noisy game of cards at one of the Formica topped tables, all eyes turning to survey Abby as she shuffled into room.

"Hey Abby!" Connor called, grinning, "I'm winning!"

"Counting cards again Con?" Abby retorted, making her way over to the kitchen window and leaning on the counter. Sniffing appreciatively, she made her way into the galley and lifted the lid on several pots on the stove top. Finding one that met with her favour, she ladled a sizeable portion into a bowl and snagged a spoon before walking back into the room and taking a seat, a table over from the card game.

The men resumed the card game, Abby working out that they were playing a mutated version of last card, involving a great deal of bluffing and making the next man pick up two. Finishing up her bowl, she rested her chin on her hand and watched the game. A final flurry of hands and it was all over, Connor jumping up and punching the air while the others made rude noises, Stephen getting up and joining her at her table, his face flushed.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the glee obvious in his face.

"Very much. Wanna play?"

Abby shook her head, turning to address Nick who sat gathering up the mess of cards scattered over the next door table. "Did I miss anything?"

"Connor has set up his detector, but so far the results are inconclusive at best. We know we have an anomaly, but pinpointing its location is proving difficult." Nick left the cards on the table and rose to his feet, stretching to loosen up his back. "The rig manager, Rick, is showing some of Captain Becker's men around before we call it a night. It looks pretty stormy out there and the winds almost gale force already, so don't wander about too much without someone with you, okay?"

"No stargazing tonight?" Abby teased, a warm glow spreading through her from his fatherly concern for her welfare. Nick gave her a mock frown.

"Definitely no stargazing. Rick says these storm blow up out of nowhere, short and violent, and it's not safe on exposed walkways or platforms."

"I get the message," Abby rolled her eyes at Nick, smiling to take the sting out of it.

"Good. It's reckoned to blow itself out by morning, so we'll start our search for the anomaly then, expect an early wake up call."

"Terrific," Abby grimaced, but Nick had already turned away. She turned her attention to Stephen, who had watched the exchange with his usual close attention.

"You don't like waking up early?" Stephen asked.

Abby shrugged. "Not usually given the choice, one way or the other. Work demands usually mean an early start, and lately we've been too busy to warrant many sleep-ins. If we're lucky, we have the occasional Saturday or Sunday off and get to lie in, but anomalies are no respecter of weekends, far as I can tell".

Captain Becker had left shortly before Nick, but now he returned with his men in tow and the rig manager, Rick along with them. They all gathered around one table, ignoring Abby and Stephen, several large sheets of paper covered in what looked like electrical diagrams spread out for them to peruse. Abby frowned and wondered why they were so interested in the layout of the rig. It had already been discussed that the water-borne anomaly, as it was assumed, would have to be approached by boat to assess if anything had come through or how strong it was. They weren't even sure if it was above or below the water as yet, diving gear part of the mass of luggage brought on board.

"Why are you frowning?" Stephen's voice broke into her thoughts, pulling her attention back to him and away from the men around the table.

"Just thinking. Are you tired?" she asked, reaching across impulsively and covering his hand with her own. "I'm not, and I sure could use a walk after all that sitting down in helicopters."

"I'm not tired either. Come on." He pulled her up and they went over to the table, Abby releasing his hand before anyone noticed. Captain Becker turned from the table to face them.

"I know we can't go outside, but is there anywhere I can go for a walk to stretch my legs?" Abby asked. "Anywhere that's not either off limits or dangerous?"

Rick reached for one of the sheets of paper on the table. "You could use this. Can you read a map?"

"Sure," Abby replied, taking the paper and looking at it. It looked more like an electrical diagram than a map, the lines crossing and criss-crossing all over the page. She turned it several ways but it didn't help her decipher it.

Rick used his finger to point out where they were, and where they could go. "Nothing much but corridors, I'm afraid. These rigs aren't designed for tourists."

"Well it'll be all new to me and Stephen, an adventure of sorts," Abby replied cheekily, rolling the map after noting several key intersections.

"If you get lost, there are handsets placed at intervals against the walls. Just lift it and press one. It'll ring in the office, then get patched through to here," Rick told her.

"Here....take a torch." Becker held one out to them. Abby glanced up at the lights in the room.

"Is there a problem with the lights?" she asked. Becker shook his head.

"Nope, but it pays to play it safe. Do you want a hand held transceiver?" he asked.

Abby laughed. "I only want a walk!" Becker twitched a dark eyebrow at her before reaching behind him and handing her his own transceiver.

"Just in case."

Abby flung her arms wide. "What could possibly be dangerous out here? We're miles from shore and the last time I looked, fish can't climb!"

Giving her an enigmatic look, Becker turned back to the table, his men studiously ignoring the exchange. Abby handed the transceiver over to Stephen, who tucked it into the back of his jeans, the torch, on its long strap, slung over his shoulder cross-wise, before following her out of the common room and into the passageway. Abby was already stalking off down the metal walled hallway, her head high.

"Hey, slow down." Stephen's long legs soon allowed him to catch up, but there was barely room for two to walk aside. They turned a corner and Abby finally stopped, leaning up against one wall, her hands tucked behind her back.

"What's the matter?" Stephen asked.

Abby looked up at him and smiled. "Nothing really, it's just you men, you're so......protective!"

"And that's a bad thing?" Stephen asked, echoing her smile. He had to admit he felt very protective where Abby was concerned, but now was obviously not the right time to tell her that fact.

"Yes. No, not really, it just irks me sometimes. Come on, lets explore." She slid her hand into his and they set off again.

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For a small, unmanned satellite platform, the living area was surprisingly large, narrow corridors stretching off in all directions, unnamed doors breaking the monotony of metal walls, while pipes and cabling snaked along the ceiling, veering off at different junctions, sometimes rejoining, winding past the stark light fittings and utilitarian ventilation grills. Abby referred to the map at each major turn but despite her best efforts, probably because it all looked the same, they ended up lost, one door opening onto darkness. Abby made to walk onto the metal mesh balcony but Stephen's hand stayed her. Wind blew short strands of her hair across her face and she impatiently brushed them away.

"What?"

"We're not supposed to go outside."

Abby stood on tiptoe and kissed his jawline. "Oh come on, it's only a small step to the railing, and we're not going down to the deck below. I just want to see." She pointed to the many lights dotted about the cranes and imposing bulk of framework. "I've never seen an oil rig at night and neither have you. What harm is there?"

"Just up to the railing, no further."

Abby gave him a quick grin and stepped outside, Stephen beside her, two steps bringing them up against the cold metal of the railing, the oil rig laid out at their feet.

Light from the doorway spilled out only a few feet, before being swallowed up by the immensity of the night. The wind was cold and very strong, a few spits of moisture hinting of the storm, poised to unleash its fury on them before too long. After the relative quiet of the living quarters, it was all noise outside, from the constant booming of waves against the pylons holding up the whole platform, to the singing of the wind in the wires and metalwork that made up the superstructure all around them.

Abby huddled into Stephen, his arms wrapping around her, his legs braced against the wind swirling around them both. She was about to suggest that they go in when an especially strong gust blasted across the face of the building, the door behind them swinging shut with a crash that reverberated through the metal platform they stood on, at the same second a blinding flash of lightning speared through the sky illuminating everything brightly for a split second before leaving them with spots before their eyes in the aftermath.

The accompanying boom of the thunder masked the sound of Stephen attempting to open the door behind them. Abby cowed against the wall beside him, nearly blind and deaf after the opening salvo of the approaching storm.

"It won't open!" Stephen shouted above the rising wind, tugging at the handle with both hands, the door not budging an inch. It was pitch black on the small platform outside the door, the glow of the lights on the rig barely reaching the side of the living quarters. Abby found the torch pushed into her hands as Stephen tried to open the door again, her thumb finding the on button, a shaft of light cutting through the darkness as she swung the beam around to highlight the door handle.

"No good, it's stuck firm. Must have locked when the wind blew it shut." Stephen gave the handle one last wrench before giving up, shaking his hands to restore their circulation. The cold of the wind was biting through his clothes, and Abby was starting to shiver in her jacket.

"We need to get off this exposed ledge," he had to shout, the howling of the wind snatching his words away. Abby merely nodded, handing him the torch. Stephen shone it down the near vertical open metal work stairway, leading several meters down to rig platform below. Shining the beam of light at the door he noted it was apparently an emergency exit only, fireproof as well, probably accounting for its automatic locking mechanism when slammed shut.

Negotiating the stairs took several minutes, the wavering light of the torch making it both easier and more dangerous, Stephen going first, the torch looped over his shoulder as he needed both hands to hold onto the handrail, taking one step at a time, always conscious of Abby at his back.

They reached the bottom and stepped onto the rig platform proper, the surface covered in pipework that dwarfed them, the towering cranes looming overhead, while the living quarters sat squat behind them. Pulling Abby into the relative shelter of the lee of the staircase, Stephen took stock. Another flash of lightning showed a twisting mass of pipework of different dimensions, snaking away into the darkness leaving little room for foot traffic. He pulled out the two way radio and thumbed it on, the battery indicator showing full as he pressed down on the send button and spoke above the noise all around them.

"Becker, this is Stephen are you receiving me?" He released the button, listening with the radio right up against his ear but hearing only static. After a minute he tried again. "This is Stephen, we're shut outside by accident, can you hear me?" Only by putting the speaker right up against his ear could he hear the faint sound of someone replying, the voice unrecognisable and garbled. Thumbing the send button again he tried again. "Whoever this is, I can barely hear you. We're outside on the platform, the door slammed and we're shut out."

Again, he held the speaker up to his ear, but the results were no better, the crackle and static making communication impossible. Leaving the radio on, he put his lips close to Abby's ear. "I can't get through to Becker or anyone. We need to find somewhere more sheltered." He felt her nod, her body tight up against his as she tried to shield herself from the chill wind now shrieking around the iron work above their heads.

Taking her hand, he led them forward, along the wall of the square living quarters until they reached a corner blocked by another, more squat building. Edging their way around this, they walked into the teeth of the gale whipped up by the storm, Abby staggering under the onslaught. They retreated back the way they'd come, finding the angle of the two building protected them from the worst of the wind, which wasn't saying much.

Bracing himself against the metal wall, Abby plastered to his body like a second skin, Stephen lifted the torch and shone the steady beam out into the night. Debris and sea foam were being blown past the end of the building, cutting across the beam of light as he shone if upwards, one particularly large piece of something hitting the wall further along with a dull crash, making Abby jump.

"What was that?"

Stephen shone the light where he thought the object had landed, the torch light revealing a large splodge of something splattered against the wall, with marks showing where whatever it was had slid down the wall.

"I don't know, but it landed over there. I'll go take a look. You stay here, I'll be back in a minute." He waited for Abby to release her vice like grip, before making his way carefully along the wall, back the way they'd already travelled, the torch beam searching for the mark on the wall.

Finding it, he looked down, stepping back smartly in surprise when the thing that the wind had slammed against the wall proved to have survived and was crawling, albeit slowly, towards him, guts and fluids trailing behind it. He suspected it was mortally injured, but that didn't appear to worry it unduly, the foot long creature raising its caterpillar like head and revealing a rather nasty row of teeth in the light from the torch. He heard a noise behind him and hurried back to where Abby stood, her face white in the light of his torch.

"Stephen, what are those things?"

A loud noise made them both jump as another creature, hurled by the wind, met its fate against the side of the building right next to them.

"We need to find a way to get back inside.....now!"

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	9. Out of Their Depth

Title: Sum of His Parts

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: Nine - Out of Their Depth

Rating: PG13

Pairing: Stabby

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Nick appeared, rubbing his eyes. He'd barely managed to nod off before Becker was back, shaking his shoulder and whispering something about Stephen and Abby. Careful not to disturb Connor slumbering in the next cot, Nick followed the Special Ops Captain after using the bathroom.

"What is all this about Stephen and Abby?"

One of the Becker's men was speaking urgently into a two way radio, repeating his message over and over but getting no response, other than static. Becker stood by one of the tables, the layout of the rig held down with coffee mugs at each corner. Rick stood to one side, an anxious expression creasing his careworn face.

"They're outside," Becker told him baldly. "And we have another problem. Seems that something is coming through that anomaly we haven't found yet."

"Something? What?" Nick scratched his chin and watched Becker unwrap a bundle of blue plastic sheeting taking up most of another table.

"This. Any ideas?" Becker pulled back the last corner to reveal a large whitish mass that looked like it might have resembled a giant maggot, or larvae, at some stage, but now had most of its insides on the outside.

"Where did you find this?" Nick picked up a fork from another table and poked at the revolting mass of flesh and bristles, the ooze starting to find ways out of the wrapping and onto the floor.

"It hit the side of the building pretty hard, broke a window with the force. It appears to have been picked up by the wind and thrown against the building."

"Like a tornado, you mean."

"Something like that. Any ideas of what it is? Is it one of those worms we dealt with in Tillingham?"

"Similar, but not necessarily the same. Hard to tell, the others were coated in mud, but anything is possible. At least it confirms that the anomaly is above the water line, otherwise these would have sunk without trace, they're not an aquatic species. Also means it's close, very close, if the wind picked these babies up." Nick suddenly remembered what else Becker had told him. "What about Stephen and Abby?"

"They went for a walk and appeared to have got themselves lost within the complex and shut outside," Becker informed him, his hands resting on his hips in an age old expression of exasperation. "Stephen couldn't tell us where they were, only that they had been shut out. I'm assuming that Hart will be trying to find a way to get them back inside....somehow."

A bright flash of lightning illuminated the room briefly, followed by a booming clap of thunder, the men all turning to stare at the small windows lining the common room. Nick winced and turned back to Becker. "It's also a possibility that the anomaly is here, on this rig, and these things are not being blown by the wind off the ocean, but being blown off the superstructure!"

"You mean we could be crawling with these things?" Rick asked, looking grim. "Can they damage the rig itself?"

"Don't know, but I think we need to find out and soon, plus get our people back inside at once!"

"Without the radio's working, we have no idea where Stephen or Abby could be. He said something about a door slamming shut on them," Becker informed him before turning to the manager. "Can you show us where all the doors leading to the outside are situated?"

Rick scanned the layout and pointed to half a dozen possible exits, Becker ringing them in red pen.

"Are the doors alarmed? That would pinpoint which door they went out of at least."

Rick shook his head. "Because it's an unmanned rig, they didn't bother with the alarm system after all the personnel had left. Only a regular maintenance crew use these rooms, and that's not every day, or even every week."

"Can we secure this place? Seal it off to keep these bugs out?" Becker next asked him, the man scratching his head as he tried to think of the answer.

"Possibly...maybe...it wasn't exactly considered when they built all this. Fire proof yes, bug proof...I don't know," Rick finally answered.

"Show me on the map where's the best place to withdraw to. We can't hope to seal off everywhere, but if this is fireproof, you should be able to seal off the passageways at regular intervals, right?"

The rig manager nodded and pointed out the information on the map. Lightning suddenly spiked through the window, rain now slashing against the glass, driven horizontal by the wind.

"What are we going to do about Abby and Stephen?" Nick asked, drawing Becker's attention away from the layout of the oil rig.

"We have to hope they are able to find some way of getting back in. If they don't know about these larvae, then they soon will. I'll send men to check on all the access doors to the outside, and we're keeping the radio channel open in case they call again. Once we've secured this place we'll form a search party and start looking - if they don't turn up in the next hour, okay?"

Nick looked anything but okay with Becker's plan of action, but he could understand the sense of it, he only hoped it played out the way the Captain expected. His worried gaze swung back to the table and it's gruesome burden. "I'll get Connor up and finding out what this creature is."

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Stephen had come to the same conclusion as Nick, at about the same time, the only difference being that Stephen had first hand knowledge that the creatures were indeed being blown off the metalwork in the gale force winds, as opposed to Nick's hypothesis of what was happening.

"There must be hundreds of them," he shouted to Abby, the heap of bodies piling up at the bottom of the wall testimony to the force snatching the creatures from their lofty perch, and hurling them back to earth. The beam of their torch illuminated the grisly carnage, some of the worm like larvae not killed on impact, but mortally injured, their writhing bodies spewing innards and gore as they tried to crawl away.

Abby felt sick to her stomach, heartily wishing she'd never suggested they take a walk and certainly never opened that door.

Every time they tried to go around the corner they were forced back by the sheer force of the gale, Abby now so cold she couldn't feel her fingers or feet. Stephen had tried the radio numerous times but without success, getting only static for his efforts.

"We have to move from here," Stephen shouted to be heard, stepping forward to boot one of the huge caterpillar like worms back, not trusting it, despite the slick trail of blood indicating it was injured.

"It is getting a bit crowded," Abby shouted back, her body past the chattering teeth stage.

"We have to get around these creatures, and avoid being hit by any of them."

"Lead on, I'll be right behind you."

"Don't let go of my belt and kick any that come to close. They have teeth."

Abby nodded her understanding of his instructions, setting her mouth in a grim line and looping her hand through his jeans belt, the warmth of Stephen's lower back searing her cold knuckles. Stephen started to lead them past the heaped worms, the wind nearly bowling them both over once they left the relative shelter of the lee, the thump and slap of another creature hitting the wall above their heads making them duck, and hurry forward. One of the dead and dying appeared to lunge at Abby's boots, making her stumble before she kicked out, sending the larvae reeling back.

They passed the stairway leading back up to the door they'd come through, the ground all around them littered with writhing bodies and slick with gore, one larvae, still airborne, catching Stephen on the shoulder and nearly sending him to his knees, only Abby acting as a counter weight prevented him from landing on his face. The creature was very much alive, having avoided being dashed against the wall, and vigorously tried to strike out, missing Stephen by inches as he and Abby stumbled past.

"Too close," Abby yelled, the wind snatching her words away. They were being driven by the storm along the side of the building, bodies littering the ground all around, both of them having to jump over the dead while avoiding those still alive and questing for prey, despite their injuries. Abby happened to glance up just as lightning rent the sky, illuminating everything around them in stark detail before fading. What she saw made her mouth go dry with horror. Stephen was leading them towards what looked like a hut or outbuilding nestled among the pipes snaking across the platform. They hadn't seen another door since they'd left the stairway, so the squat building looked like their best bet for shelter both from the storm, and the creatures infesting the rig. They had just reached the scant shelter of the doorway when the skies opened and rain sleeted down in a solid sheet, drenching them in seconds. Luck was with them and the door opened, being on the lee side of the building. Stephen pulled them both inside then slammed the door shut. Abby prised her fingers free of his belt, not moving until Stephen shone the torch about, showing her a chair which she promptly sat down on, gasping to catch her breath. A loud thump as something landed on the roof made her cry out in shocked surprise, both of them looking up for several long seconds before the absence of any further noise allowed them to relax a bit.

"Unless they grow arms and legs, they can't get in here," Stephen tried to reassure her, another thump making him flinch despite his best efforts.

"There are millions of them out there, all up in the super structure. The metal work is crawling with them," Abby told him, her breathing still rapid, clouding the cold air.

"The anomaly must be on, or under the oil rig platform for them to be able to climb all over it," Stephen added, flashing the beam of the torch around the room. A few steps brought him over to the wall near the door, a quick flick and the room was bathed in welcome light, just the effect of banishing the dark enough to give them hope.

The room was obviously some sort of monitoring station, one wall given over to a bank of dials and read outs, all of them currently dark with only one red light blinking slowly off to the side. Down another wall was a wide window looking out over the platform, a bench running along underneath with a console of switches and buttons. Several chairs on wheels were scattered about, Abby sitting on one, the third wall lined with shelving and lockers with bric-a-brac heaped on top.

What space was left was plastered with out of date girly calenders and technical posters, several warning of the need for hard hats at all times, and mandatory carrying of gas masks. The last item visible was a small box marked with a bright red cross hung in a space beside the door. Stephen put down the torch and spent several seconds rolling his shoulder to ease the bruising caused by the hit from the airborne maggot.

"Does it hurt?" Abby asked, waved back into her seat when she made to stand up, Stephen giving her a crooked smile.

"Nothing broken, just sore." He snagged the radio from the back of his jeans and thumbed the switch again, not expecting anything but static, but he had to try. "Stephen calling Becker, Nick or anybody, can you hear me?" Again he could just make out a garbled voice amongst the static, but nothing clearer. "I'm going to assume you can hear me, although I can't receive you. We're safe for the time being. The rig is crawling with creatures, millions of them according to Abby. They are about a foot long and look like larvae or some sort worm, they have teeth and bristles. Not the same as what we found before in that field, but something like. Probably Mesozoic, maybe Permian."

He listen to the static for a few seconds before turning the radio off and all but throwing it onto the work bench. He leant heavily on the bench and peered out into the semi darkness beyond the glass. Every few seconds something blew past the window, pale bodies propelled by the storm and meeting their doom among the pipes and hard surfaces of the deck.. A sound behind him made him turn, the cause the young woman trying to warm herself by wrapping her arms about her torso and rocking. He briefly wondered why he felt so warm, when she was so obviously cold. Crossing the short distance between them, he shucked off his outer layer. "Here, put this on."

Abby looked up at him standing in front of her, holding out his top, and wondered how he could stand there in nothing but a long sleeve shirt. She shook her head and flapped her arms to instil some warmth into her frozen limbs. Suddenly Stephen was pulling her arms away from her body and manhandling her into the sweatshirt, the sleeves too long for her, but the instant warmth, carried over from being worn against his body, sinking into her chilled flesh felt heavenly.

"But you're get cold now," she tried to argue, Stephen ignoring her and chafing her cold hands to restore their circulation. A scrabbling sound at the door froze them in place, both of them turning their heads to look at the door, Stephen quickly assessing it's strength, while Abby darted her eyes around the room looking for an escape route in case the creatures broke through. The sound continued for several minutes, the interior of the hut like a frozen tableau with neither of them moving. At length the noise stopped and they both let out a long held breath, Stephen continuing to envelop her hands in his to warm them, despite his head turning to do as Abby had done, and assess their chances of escape if the door was compromised.

"It's the door or break the window," Abby answered the question she saw in his eyes.

"They won't get in, so don't worry so," Stephen chided her, forcing a smile to his lips and hoping she couldn't read the worry in his gaze. She could, and she did, her own anxiety cranking up a notch with another thump from above their heads.

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"Sir, he's right. The rigging and everything on the platform is infested," the soldier manning the hand held reported to Becker. "Stephen also reports that they're safe."

"Well, that's something at least." Nick ran a hand through his already disordered hair, worry creasing his forehead and deepening the lines around his mouth.

"I suggest we spend what's left of the night getting some rest. There's nothing further we can do from here until we have some light out there. Connor can't identify these creatures, and we've secured this area as much as we can. Stephen and Abby have said they're safe, and so are we."

"Sleep? Knowing what's crawling about out there?" Rick's voice had risen a notch, the special ops men eyeing him warily. Dealing with civilian's in these situations was always tricky, and panicky civilians the last thing you wanted on your hands in an emergency. Becker stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on the man's brawny shoulder.

"We are completely safe here, and we don't expect anyone other than ourselves to go out there when it gets light. You, Connor and the Professor will remain here while me and my men do a reconnaissance and look for Hart and Abby. Alright?"

Rick swallowed and slowly nodded his head, belatedly realizing that his tough oil man credibility had taken a dent. Nick hadn't argued with Becker about him staying behind, because he knew it for the ploy it was, to reassure the poor man, but there was no way in hell he was going to be sitting safely behind thick walls while Stephen and Abby were left to face whatever had infested the platform outside.

Soon Becker was switching the lights off in the common room, leaving one man on watch to monitor the radio and patrol the limits of their safe house, while everyone else retired to the bunk room and tried to sleep. The soldiers were the most successful, dropping off quickly while Nick, Connor and the rig manager, lay wide awake and listening to the storm howl around the exterior.

"Professor?" Connor's sibilant whisper easily reached Nick in the next bed over.

"What, Connor?"

"Sorry I couldn't identify the creature. All I can say is, it's not the creature from Tillingham or the rag worm wannabes from the high rise. They're something else again."

"Don't worry about it, Connor. Even Stephen could only guess at where they came from. Try and sleep, we'll know more in the morning." Just as he finished speaking, something landed with a heavy thump on the roof of the sleeping quarters, Connor's indrawn breath loud in the silence that followed. Nick stared up into the darkness for several minutes, his body tense, but when no further sounds were forthcoming, he purposefully relaxed every tense muscle in his long frame.

"Why worms?" Connor whispered lament came from the next door bed. "I hate worms. Why couldn't they be nice furry mammals with nothing more lethal than a taste for acorns and too much fur?"

Nick chuckled to himself. "Maybe through the next anomaly Connor.....try to rest."

z z z z z z z z z

Becker's shake roused Nick, what seemed to him, to be only seconds later. Light was streaming through the high windows as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Nearly all the bunks were empty, except for Rick and Connor's. Responding to Becker's finger indicating quiet, Nick pulled on his boots and snagged his jacket before following the soldier from the bunkroom.

The rest of the men were checking weapons in the common room, quietly assuming battle readiness, while Nick tried to clear the sleep from his eyes, downing a cup of coffee to wake his brain up.

All too soon they were making ready to leave, Becker handing Nick a gun, which he promptly returned. "No thank you, I leave that to the experts."

Becker gave the Professor an arch look, having witnessed plenty of times, as well as read the historic reports, when Nick had quite capably handled a weapon.

Admittedly, since the incident of the original Stephen dying, the man had stuck to largely non lethal guns, preferring to dart the creatures that wandered through anomalies, leaving Becker and his men to carry the real fire power.

"If you say so, Cutter." Re-holstering the pistol, Becker signalled his men and they filed out of the room, leaving one man behind to hold the fort, before heading to the first barricade. They passed beyond that with no sign that the creatures had found a way inside the complex, securing it behind them before passing on. At last they reached a door that Becker indicated led to the outside. The door was stuck firm and they had to cut through the lock to get it open. The wind outside was still strong, carrying with it a stench that made Nick hurriedly cover his nose and mouth before stepping onto the small metal deck overlooking the platform below.

They were looking out over a scene of carnage, the sights and sounds, as well as the smell, beyond anything they could imagine. At the bottom of the stairway leading down to the deck, heaped bodies of dead and dying creatures lay up against the walls all the way along, the piles heaving as the dying writhed under the bodies of their dead companions. If that wasn't bad enough, more of the creatures were ranged along the edge of the piles of corpses, feeding on them, cannibalizing their fellows and making Nick heave at the scene before him. Everywhere were wriggling, squirming bodies, seething and climbing over each other to get at the feast, covering most of the metal platform in a living carpet of bristling, pale skin.

Nick looked up and felt his eyes widen further. Dangling from several of the booms of the cranes were large, dark chrysalis, like over ripe fruit, swaying in the wind and knocking together. It was all so surreal Nick had trouble taking it all in.

Becker was peering over the edge of the metal railing at the ground below, ignoring the gagging noises from one of his men losing his breakfast over the side further down. "We need to get down there, it's a fraction clearer under the shelter of the stairs. We'll drop ropes from here."

The bottom of the stairs, Nick could see, was piled high to nearly the seventh step with dead bodies of the creatures, several of the living clambering over the corpses to feast at the top of the heap. He stayed where he was while Becker and his men secured ropes, before shinning over the side to land on the deck below. Becker called for Nick to follow, which he did, before being followed over by the last couple of soldiers who landed beside him more gracefully than he did.

He swallowed the nausea clawing at his throat and looked around. About a hundred meters away sat a squat building, Becker already leading a path through the dead creatures laying at their feet. Nick slipped on a patch of thick ichor and one of the men steadied him, kicking away one not so dead creature that lifted its black muzzle as the men passed by.

They reached the building, taking a circuitous route around the piled bodies, several of them up against the door, which had to be cleared before they could open it. Inside they found more dead bodies, but these showing evidence that they had been bludgeoned to death, rather than been killed by the storm. The big windows along one side were smashed, Becker pointing out that the glass indicated it had been broken from the inside.

"Looks like whoever was in here broke out," The Captain announced, scowling down at the evidence. "If it was Stephen and Abby...." Becker paused, "there's nothing to indicate either was hurt when they escaped."

Nick was looking up at the ceiling, seeing the wrecked decorative panels that indicated how the creatures had gained access. One of the men picked up a piece of equipment off the floor.

"His radio sir," he said, before handing it to Becker. Nick decided it was time to speak up.

"Did you notice those things hanging off the cranes and cross bracing?" He waited for Becker to nod. "That indicates that these are just larvae, caterpillars. Those chrysalis mean this is just a stage of their development. We need to find out what's in those chrysalis and destroy them, before they hatch whatever winged insect they turn in to. Given the size of these critters, they're gonna be big!"

"And I hardly need to point out," Becker continued, for the benefit of his men, "that having unidentified winged insects flying about is not an option. We'll split into two groups....one to look for Hart and Miss Maitland, the other to climb that crane and see about destroying those sacks. If we can cut them down, we can burn them."

"What about all these?" Nick waved his arm to encompass the considerable infestation covering most of the rig.

"One problem at a time Professor. Would you agree that those," Becker pointed to the dark bundles suspended from the rigging, "are more of a threat than those?" He pointed to one of the bristly creatures undulating it's way towards the nearest dead body, intent on a meal.

"Agreed, but I think you underestimate the scale of the problem. Those.." Nick pointed up, "are only the ones we can see. They could be anywhere." Nick dropped his arm to point downwards. "If the anomaly is under us, as I suspect, then they could be all through the framework beneath this deck. Even with the best will in the world, there are simply not enough of us to tackle a job of this scale!"

Becker chewed his lip as he pondered their alternatives. Looking up, he fixed Nick with a steady gaze. "The Professor is right. This is too much for us to deal with. Forget what I just said, this has just become a demolition mission. The only way we can stop these creatures from all turning into their winged alternative, is to destroy the rig."

Nick gaped at the Captain. "Are you mad!"

Becker returned his look calmly. "Have you any other suggestions to halt what is, basically, an invasion of these creatures?" He watched Nick splutter for a second before continuing. "You've said it yourself, we can't do this by simply cutting them down, there's too many. If, as you suggest, the anomaly is still spewing these things out, then this rig is history. I'm supposing they can't swim?" Becker raised an eyebrow, but Nick could only spread his hands.

"Not enough information to go on, but I'd be surprised if they could. They don't appear to be water borne larvae, like mosquitoes, but don't quote me on that." Even as he gave his opinion, the vision of a giant mosquito and the havoc it would wreak, let alone hundreds of them, was enough to make him feel ill again.

"Quite. So we destroy this platform, drown the bugs and burn up the chrysalis. If, after all that, the anomaly is still open, there's nowhere for the bugs to go but into the ocean where the sea will take care of them."

Nick huffed. "Not sure Greenpeace would condone your proposed action. The pollution from this rig alone will have far reaching consequences, let alone the likelihood of larvae bodies washing up on local beaches. How do you propose to explain those?"

"Not my brief. I leave that to the PR experts," Becker retorted, giving Nick a small smile.

"Do you have enough explosive to blow up a rig this size?" Nick asked, mentally calculating the quantity of gear the men had arrived with.

"We won't need much. This platform is a bomb waiting for a fuse, as it is. We just need to cause enough leeks of oil and gas at strategic points to initiate an explosion that won't leave much for the salvage crews to recover."

"I get the feeling this situation isn't entirely new to you Captain Becker?" Nick raised an eyebrow at the younger man, watching the features set into a mask.

Becker ignored his comment and turned to his men. "Carter, return and get the cee-four. Rouse the rig manager, we'll need to know precisely what valves and pipes we need to sabotage. Contact base and organize a rescue chopper and give them a sit-rep. If Mr. Jones gives you any grief, bring him out here and show him what we're dealing with. Explain to him that the rig is history with, or without his cooperation."

"Yes sir!" Carter snapped off a salute before running out of the room, half the men following him, while the rest waited for Becker to continue.

"We'll carry on and search for our missing people. Let's move out!" Becker led them out of the room and back onto the deck, Nick not at all sure that any amount of explosive could destroy the tons of metal forming the structure around them.

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Their escape from the control hut, sending them on a precipitous flight across the seething deck, found them dodging around writhing bodies until Stephen spotted a flight of steps leading down to a lower deck, only one or two of the worms finding their way down the steep stairway to block the door. Kicking them aside, they both heaved on the metal door, thankful to find it unlocked but heavy, barely bothering to open it more than a crack to allow them to slip through before letting it clang shut tight behind them.

Swinging the torch around they saw metal lined corridors stretching off in two directions, the sound of the sea much closer as they cautiously made their way along the left hand passageway. The first door opened on to a room full of pipes and a bank of valve wheels, gauges indicating that it was some sort of pumping room and not intended for anything other than inspection. Further along, they found a small supply room lined with shelves displaying all manner of tools and spare parts, along with safety equipment, clothing, hard hats and life jackets. There was no access to the outside and only a air vent, the thin ribbons showing a steady flow of air coming through to ventilate the room.

Abby was shivering, their mad dash across the deck in the pouring rain once more leaving them soaked to the skin. While Abby remained by the door, Stephen inspected the cupboards and shelves, finding a stack of overalls and thermal shirts, along with wet weather jackets and trousers.

"We can change into these." He held them out for Abby to see. She reached out a hand and touched the bright, fluro-orange boiler suits and snorted her amusement.

"I have nail polish this colour!" Taking the one on top, she quickly shucked off her wet clothes down to her underwear, leaving them in a pile while she pulled on first the thermal shirt, then the hideously coloured over all. It completely swamped her small frame but it was dry and warm. Stephen even managed to find some incredibly thick work socks that she could pull on up to her knees with ease. Bundling her wet gear up, she cleared a metal frame shelf unit and used it to drape her sodden clothes over to dry.

Stephen finished changing behind her, looking only slightly less ridiculous in the rigger's gear, the garments more suited to his height than hers, the legs of which pooled around her ankles like baggy stockings.

She used a spare shirt to towel her hair, leaving it standing up in spikes before handing it to Stephen to use, his hair ending up similar to hers, sticking up in all directions.

"I don't suppose they have any emergency rations in here?" Abby asked, her body making demands now that the immediate crisis had been addressed. "A hot drink would go down really well about now."

"Not that I've found so far. We could go and explore further along this corridor. Maybe there's another canteen in this part of the rig."

Pulling on one of the wet weather jackets, Abby snagged another pair of socks to pull over the ones already on her feet and made for the door.

They checked before stepping out of the room, still no sign that the creatures, littering the deck above, had managed to find a way down to their level. Abby saw a switch box directly opposite the doorway and flipped the one marked 'Lights', the hallway immediately illuminated with bulkhead lights set at even intervals on both sides. Stephen switched off their torch and slung it back over his shoulder.

Together they set off, following the corridor until they reached another door. Abby was glad of the extra pair of socks on her feet, the metal floor cold and hard underfoot. The new door led into a large room that looked like a central planning office, with broad desks and big maps on display around the walls. Stephen approached one that looked like a cutaway illustration of the platform, his finger tracing over the lines to find where they'd come in, and possibly locate a way back for them both. Abby had spotted something in the corner and was shuffling as fast as her stocking feet would carry her.

"What have you found?" Stephen called out, not turning his head from his contemplation of the maps.

"Salvation!" Abby whooped, brandishing a mug in one hand and a tin of coffee in the other. "No milk, and we'll have to wait for the water to boil.....but we can live off coffee and hot chocolate for a bit, can't we?"

"I think I've found a way to get us back to the living quarters," Stephen announced after several minutes, Abby appearing beside him and handing over a mug of some dark brew that steamed in the cool air. "Thanks....look here.." He traced a finger over the map, indicating to her where he thought they were, and where they needed to get back to. "We can get pretty close without having to go back up on the deck."

"That'll be a plus. Those creatures gross me out. I've already had my fill of giant worms trying to eat me with those hideous things we tackled in that tower in the city." She noticed Stephen giving her a curious look and could have kicked herself. "Sorry, that was before you arrived....."

"Was the other Stephen there?"

"Yes. He was trapped in one of the offices, while me and Connor had to find a way to vent the gas keeping them alive." Abby bit her lip, ducking her head to sip at her own mug of black coffee.

They didn't speak of Stephen very often, in fact she could count on one hand the number of times the missing member of the team was mentioned. She felt a brief pang of guilt for that, wondering at herself for so easily replacing their own Stephen with this clone wearing his face and body. Despite the similarities in appearance and knowledge, they were two completely different men, one so open and easy to read, the other a closed book with only flashes of the man behind the mask appearing, usually only in her presence, if ever. Even knowing the reasons behind his reticence with the revelations about Helen Cutter, she couldn't help being thankful that she, Abby Maitland, was being given an opportunity to get to know Stephen without the baggage of history and former mistakes on both their sides cluttering up their relationship. A yawn suddenly caught her unaware and she tried to stifle it unsuccessfully.

"You're tired," Stephen stated.

"Spending the night getting chased by, or running away from carnivorous worms will do that to a girl," Abby retorted, rubbing her gritty eyes. "Bet you're tired too."

A thinly padded bench was fixed to the wall near to the coffee maker, Stephen pulling Abby over to it. "We should be safe enough here, so get some rest."

"What about you?" She made to get up, but he pressed her down again with his hands on her shoulders.

"The bench isn't big enough for two, and not long enough for me. I'll make shift in one of the chairs."

Abby followed the direction of his gaze and eyed the hard, plastic conference chairs around one of the tables with a critical eye. "You'll be crippled if you sleep in one of those."

"Then I'll sleep on the floor. Either way, you need to rest."

"I need a bathroom first. That coffee has gone right through me," Abby complained, wishing now she'd never seen the coffee machine.

"Then lets go look before we do anything else. Come on." Stephen checked with one of the maps, tracing a route with his finger before once more snagging Abby's hand and all but dragging her out of the map room and down the passageway to the right. Several turns later, with Abby completely lost, they found a door marked with the simple illustration of a man and the welcoming word "Toilet" just underneath the figure. Abby pushed past Stephen and hurried to the nearest cubicle, slamming the thin door in her haste. Stephen made use of the facilities then wandered back out into the corridor while he waited.

The boom of the sea was even louder, this branch of the corridor ending within a few meters with a very business like looking hatchway with a big central wheel, something you'd expect to see on a ship or submarine. Curious, Stephen walked up to the door, assessing it for a moment before turning the wheel to release the lock and pull it open. A blast of damp, salty air swept over him as he pulled the hatchway open fully, the crash of waves almost deafening as he stepped out onto a metal gantry running under the drill platform, one of the massive support legs for the rig close to where he was standing.

He was surprised to see how light it had become since their escape from the worms, the weak morning light showing the surface of the sea nearly thirty meters below, the surface choppy, waves slapping against the uprights in a constant motion and scenting the air with brine and seaweed.

The gantry he was on stretched in all directions, spanning a short distance between other structures beneath the deck, the metal gleaming with sea spray, some sporting tendrils of sea grass thrown up by the turbulent sea below. He sensed someone behind him and turned to see Abby stepping through the hatch and onto the metal gantry beside him, her orange suit garishly bright in the half light of the morning.

"Wow. You weren't going to suggest we cross these and explore over there, were you?"

"According to the diagrams and layouts back there, those are mostly stations to monitor the flow of oil and gas up the drill head, plus others are to monitor the sea chains and anchors on the sea floor, also to regulate the propellers that keep the platform in one place."

"Are you saying this whole set up is floating?"

"Not exactly, but they need to compensate for the strong currents and storms like the one we just had, from shifting the rig around."

"Since when were you an expert on drill rigs?" Abby queried, her short hair whipping around her head as if it was alive.

"Connor was doing research on the flight over, remember?"

"You must be a really quick study." Abby grinned at him, taking the sting out of her words. She had to tilt her head to look up at him, and her grin quickly faded. "Oh God....look up there!"

Stephen followed her pointed arm and saw what had stolen what little colour she had in her face. Slowly gyrating above their heads, its fractured light unmistakable, was the anomaly, lodged deep within the superstructure underneath the platform, enabling anything that came through to crawl safely among the pipes and conduits and ultimately find a way up, and onto the platform above.

As their eyes tracked the anomaly, Abby let out a gasp and pointed to the shadowy sacks hanging down from nearly every vantage point, the bulky chrysalis swaying back and forth like pendulums in the wind blowing around the rigging. Even as they stared round eyed upwards, one of the chrysalis fell, its sticky attachment to the metalwork snapping and sending it plunging down towards the sea.

As luck would have it, it landed with a sickening crack onto the gantry right in front of them, the thickly woven bag-like structure flattening like a Hershey's Kiss and splitting open to spill it's contents in plain sight to it's captive audience.

The half formed creature inside slowly oozed out of the ruined casing, a huge crumpled wing appearing as the long, serpentine body uncoiled to flop dead and incomplete onto the metal walk way.

Abby could only look on in speechless horror as the implications of all those potential flying terrors swung innocently back and forth above their heads in their safe cocoons.

"We have to get back and warn the others. This is a disaster!" Backing away from the railing, Abby turned and ran back the way they'd come, jumping through the hatch and tearing along as fast as her stockinged feet would carry her. Stephen was right behind her, having the foresight to close the hatch before running after her, catching her up as she arrived at the first junction, unerringly guiding her back the way they'd come until they arrived at the door leading up to the platform above.

Abby reached for the door handle to wrench it open, but Stephen stopped her.

"We don't know what's on the other side, there could be a mountain of those things."

"Unless you know another, quicker way to get us back up there, this is the only way."

"Alright, but stand out of the way, if there are creatures piled up against the door, we'll need to get past them." He waited for her to move back before bracing himself against the door. He had barely moved the handle when the door started to move. Startled, he jumped back, standing in front of Abby, his body tense and ready to run or fight. Abby clutched at handful of his orange overalls, her breath short as they watched the door open.

Z z z z z z z z z z z

"Assuming they fled that pump room, it's a good bet they headed over this way. Keep an eye out for any likely bolt holes," Becker ordered, kicking another carcass out of the way as his remaining few men kept half an eye on the ground and the other half scanning for any sign of Stephen and Abby. Nick kept close to the Captain, glancing up and down as if watching a vertical tennis match, wishing that he could just call our their names and have his missing friends materialize in front of him.

"Over here sir!" One of the soldiers on point waved them over and indicated a stairway leading down below the deck. Several dead and dying larvae writhed sluggishly at the bottom, the metal door undamaged and relatively clear.

"Let's get it open," Becker ordered, the other men forming up and heading down the stairs, kicking aside the creatures to clear a path. Becker held up three fingers, counting down as his men prepared to open the door, none of them sure of what might be lurking on the other side. Swinging the door wide, the men trained their weapons on the dark maw for several seconds, but when nothing appeared to menace anyone, they advanced. Suddenly, two figures dressed in garish orange overalls appeared, the smaller of the pair instantly recognizable

"Abby!" Nick shouted, jumping down to greet the orange clad zoologist.

"Oh God, Nick...Nick, we found the anomaly, but there's more....these creatures are just the larval stage, we found cocoons!" Abby was talking a mile a minute, desperate to pass on their knowledge, Stephen appearing behind her, his expression uncertain.

"Stephen, thank goodness!" Nick reached out and pulled the younger man into a quick hug of relief that they were both alive and unharmed. "Can't say that orange does anything for the two of you."

Becker interrupted the reunion by asking about the anomaly. "Sorry to cut this short, but can you take us to the site so we can assess the situation?"

They all trooped back inside, shutting the door heavily behind them, the other soldiers already ranging down the passageway, checking it out for evidence of the creatures. Stephen spoke first.

"They haven't got in here, as far as we can tell. There's a secure hatch down there that leads out to a gantry under the platform. That's were we saw the anomaly."

"And the cocoons," Abby added. "There were more than I could count."

"They're up in the metalwork as well," Nick informed them, noting how grey and tired they both looked. "I guess you two had one hell of a night?"

Abby smiled weakly. "You have no idea." She cast a quick glance at Stephen. "It was my fault we got stuck outside. I wanted to see the rig at night, all the lights and stuff. It's not Stephen's fault the wind caught the door and slammed it shut."

Nick draped his arm about her shoulders and gave them a squeeze. "There's no blame, so don't take it to heart. You're both safe, that's all that matters." They had been walking while they were talking and were approaching the hatchway, Becker's men already positioned on the gantry beyond, all of them staring skywards.

Abby hung back beside Stephen to let Nick step through first, his head instantly tilting to look up at the anomaly still spinning slowly among the beams and pipework. Becker had a small digital recorder in his hand, documenting the site and surrounding super-structure, his men keeping a close lookout in case any of the creatures showed signs of hatching. Nick had walked out past the men to inspect the fallen chrysalis and the gory remains, Stephen joining him while Abby remained by the hatchway.

"Carboniferous, from the size, not Meganuera, possibly one we simply don't have a fossil record of yet," Stephen suggested, Nick turning his head to meet his eyes, before nodding in agreement.

"Another beasty to add to our collection. Would explain why Connor came up with nothing, but then the larvae wouldn't preserve very well in rock anyway, too much soft tissue."

Stephen gestured upwards. "A bit more than your usual incursion, I'm guessing?"

"Becker looks on it as an invasion, and if these creatures become airborne...." Nick let the sentence trail away, not needing to spell it out for the younger man.

"So what's our course of action? We can hardly poke all these critters back through the hole!"

"Nope. Blow up the rig."

Stephen glanced upwards at the tons of metal suspended over their heads. "Fuck."

Nick felt his eyebrows climb into his hairline at his surprise. It wasn't because he'd never heard his Stephen swear. His Stephen could turn the air blue with his colourful use of swear words. It was hearing the word from his clone, that caused Nick to look askance.

"Interesting use of that word," Nick couldn't resist the dig.

Stephen looked sheepish. "Isn't it the right usage? I thought...."

"No....no, it's entirely the right usage, given the situation. I was just surprised to hear you say it."

"Oh....well....I've heard the soldiers use it, and even Connor used it when he got his finger caught in the door the other day. I've haven't heard Abby use it though....is it not appropriate for me to use it around her?"

Nick had to blink and pause before answering. It was so easy to forget that this man before him, this clone of his dear friend, was not the Stephen everyone new. This was a man thrown into a time and place he had no experience of, a language and people he was new too and still learning about.

"I would keep your use of the word for extreme situation. Despite some people using it for every second word, it's still strong for ordinary conversations."

Clapping the younger man on the shoulder, Nick turned his back on the insect remains and went back to the others, feeling every one of his years and as tired as hell.

Z z z z z z z z z z z

Connor had greeted their return enthusiastically, peppering them with questions which Abby and Stephen did their best to answer, despite sleep dragging at their eyelids. Eventually Nick snagged the youngster and allowed the orange clad pair to shuffle off to the bunk room for some well earned rest.

"Let's go with Rick to the radio room and contact Lester, before everything is blown to hell."

Becker was busy with his men, poring over schematics of the rig, looking for the best way to destroy and sink the platform, taking the creatures and their cocoons with them. They only had a few hours before the rescue helicopters arrived to pull them all off the rig, so Nick hoped that nothing hatched before that time otherwise it was likely the demolition would be placed in the hands of air force jets and missiles, and a far bigger mess for Jenny to gloss over. It was going to be a public relations nightmare, whichever way you looked at it.

Z z z z z z z z z z z z


	10. Downtime

Title: Sum of His Parts

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: Ten - Downtime

Rating: NC17 – het lovin'

Pairing: Stabby

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Abby was half asleep before she even got her socks off, the downside of all that adrenaline pumping through her system for most of the night leaving her drained and lethargic. It was all too much effort, her head drooping as she slumped on the side of the bed she'd risen from, the night before. Stephen felt fractionally better, running on the remainder of his nervous energy, stripping off all his gear before coming over to attend to Abby. He peeled her out of the orange overalls, before divesting her of her underwear as well. It was only when the cooler air of the bunk room chilled her naked skin, did she rouse enough to take an interest in what he was doing. By then, he had scooped her up in his arms and was walking barefoot and bare arsed into the small bathroom complex with her.

Abby was beyond caring or protesting, only giving a small shriek when he dropped her onto her feet on the freezing tiles, a cloud of steam enveloping them both when Stephen turned on the shower taps, and pulled her in behind him. Minutes later they emerged, damp, warm and clean, Stephen wrapping them both in bathrobes, towelling Abby's short hair as she leant against his chest, already asleep on her feet. Once more he carried her back to the makeshift double bed, laying her down on her side before climbing in himself, wrapping his long frame around her and falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillows.

That was how Nick found them minutes later, when he entered quietly to check up on them, leaving just as silently when he'd confirmed they were safe and asleep together, unable to stop the smile creasing his face as he sauntered back to the common room and Connor.

Z z z z z z z z z z

They were all around her, crawling up her legs, tumbling down from the sky to land on her head, tangle in her hair. She tried to bat them away, her arms wind-milling as she fought to keep the creatures away from her face, the ones on her legs chewing through her leggings, then her skin, making her dance to dislodge them. She could see more swarming towards her, intent on eating her alive. She screamed – and woke up, to find Stephen holding her in his arms, murmuring to her to calm her, her heartbeat pounding in her chest as she panted heavily.

"Oh God...oh God....a nightmare....oh Jesus..." Still shaking, she lay and shivered, Stephen's gentle hand stroking her hair, his voice dispelling the images that played behind her closed eyes. Only when her heart ceased to race did she shift, turning in the circle of his arms to press her face to his warm flesh, her nose buried at the base of his throat, his pulse a steady beat against her skin. She wondered briefly how she'd ever managed to feel safe, before the haven of his arms had been there to comfort and cherish her, combined with his warmth, strength, and unstinting caring of her.

She felt a lump rise up in her throat, a welter of emotions flowing over her as she acknowledged in her heart of heart that she loved this man, had loved him before, and now loved him again, with a depth of passion that shook her to her core. It was like a light had been turned on inside her, the revelation so profound and so deep she couldn't possibly mistake it for anything other than what it was – love.

With the knowledge also came uncertainty. They had known each other for such a short time, and he was so otherworldly, so alien to her life with his gaps in basic understanding of life and people, and yet commanding skills and knowledge on a par, and sometimes beyond, the man he'd been cloned from. Then there was the fact that he was a clone.

He wasn't Stephen Hart as they'd known before, he was another man with the same DNA, the same physical shell but with none of the history, the connections, the emotional growth of the other man. How was she to know that if he'd met someone else, before Abby Maitland, that he wouldn't have bonded with them just as quickly, and just as succinctly as he'd done with her. Was she deluding herself that he behaved the way he did only around her, and wouldn't be the same with anyone else?

She'd seen him react to the women on the Campus, and even his interest in other women, in those early days, had been with his usual intense focus. Was it just because he was around her so much, that he took such care with her? Or were his feelings just because she was convenient, and his first experience with a woman?

Her previous euphoria had dissipated, leaving her feeling hollow and unsure of both herself and him. Her feelings were still there, but now tempered with the knowledge that, quite possibly, Stephen didn't feel one iota of what Abby felt for him. And there was no way she could ask him.

Stephen was still stroking her back, his lips pressed to her hair as he planted soft kisses against the bleach-blond strands, his heartbeat steady and strong under her cheek. Abby shifted and raised her head to gaze up at him.

"Thank you."

He looked down at her and raised a quizzical dark brow. "What for?"

"For taking such good care of me."

He studied her features, seeing the lines that spoke of her weariness, but also seeing something in her eyes that made a warm glow spread outwards from his heart. "I like taking care of you." He saw moisture pool in her eyes at his reply, Abby ducking her head to tuck it under his chin. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm not," came her muffled reply, her arms tightening around him as she snuggled closer. "I'm just tired."

"Then go back to sleep. Nick will wake us when it's time to leave." Her shifting had caused his body to react, pressed as it was up against a warm and desirable body.

Without being told, he knew it was not exactly the right time for them to do anything like that, Abby still exhausted and his own body wanting nothing more than to sleep again. But still, despite that, his flesh hardened and responded when Abby pressed closer, her small breasts coming into contact with his skin, and sending skittles of awareness up and down his body.

Abby felt like purring, Stephens big hands stroking slowly up and down her back, going lower with each pass, until he was able to cup her bottom through the towelling robe, pausing for a second before sweeping back up to the nape of her neck. She could feel the evidence of his body's reaction to her, the hard length of him pressed against her belly, his hand down her back pushing him into her bare skin and setting up a deep throb with each stroke.

Her breasts had come free of the overlap, and were squashed unashamedly against his chest, their hard points sensitized by the heat of the skin against them. Sex had been the last thing on her mind, when she'd awoken from the nightmare, but that had been banished in the comfort of his arms, and now her body, tired or not, was awakening to a new awareness of the hard, male body in bed with her, her nose drawing in the heavenly scent of him and exciting her more.

With her new found knowledge of her emotions, she wanted to crawl into his skin and be a part of him, meld them together as one, her head tilting to bring her lips to his neck, lapping at the pulse before kissing him open mouthed and sucking on the flesh beneath.

Stephen's hands stilled when he felt her kiss him, his head naturally turning to give her greater access as she nibbled and feasted on him. "Maybe we shouldn't...." he whispered, his hands clutching at her bathrobe when she lowered one of her hands to wrap around him, making him buck into her teasing fingers.

"Maybe we should," Abby whispered back, squeezing and stroking him, his heartbeat starting to race under her ministrations, his head turning to capture her lips with his own, his hand now fondling her bottom and pulling the robe up her thighs to bare her skin.

The next few minutes were spent peeling back the bathrobes, flesh meeting flesh, hardness quickly enveloped in soft folds until they were truly one, Abby surrendering herself to the flood of sensation sweeping away her tiredness, banishing the nightmares and allowing her to revel in the fantasy that Stephen loved her, with every stroke of his hands and touch of his lips. Never mind that she had told him this wasn't possible, that sex and work weren't supposed to be mixed, she needed this, wanted it, and rules be damned if she didn't wring every last ounce of pleasure from it.

Afterwards, sated, sweaty and tangled together, she wondered how on earth she was going to keep the fact that she was hopelessly in love with him a secret, not only from him, but from those that knew her a great deal better, like Nick and Connor.

Sure, they knew she and Stephen were sleeping together, even having sex together, but that indefinable shift from the plain physical to the ultimate intimacy of being in love, was something else.

"What are you thinking?" Stephen's quiet growl against her ear made her want to giggle.

"I think I'm supposed to ask that question."

"Are you? Do you want to know what I'm thinking?" he asked, his breath ruffling the short hairs around her ear.

Suddenly she wanted desperately to know what he was thinking, to know everything he thought about simply anything. "Yes, I do want to know."

"If I tell you, will you tell me what's making that line between your eyebrows?"

She consciously relaxed her face, turning around to face him. "Tell me."

His rich blue eyes met hers, the pupils wide and dark. "I was thinking, wondering, if this isn't more than just the physical act of sex, if there isn't something more happening."

She felt her heart still for a second then continue beating. "What sort of more?"

"I don't know. I've never felt anything like this before, but I suppose that's not exactly surprising, is it. I don't know if this is supposed to feel like this, if it's the same for everyone, or just for me."

He had asked that question of her before and she'd brushed it off without really answering him. Now she had a real investment in finding out what it was he was trying to say. "Stephen, what do you know of love?"

"Nothing, what is it?"

Abby felt as if a large rock had been dropped on her, crushing all life from her body and leaving it bloodless and cold. Mentally slapping herself, she cleared her throat before answering. "Well, love can take many forms. At its heart, it's a very strong emotion that one person feels for another, for example a mother for a child, or a husband for a wife."

"A strong emotion, like fear....or anger?"

"Like that....but it's even stronger than those feelings. Have you ever felt those?"

"I've felt fear...I know what anger is, but I don't think I've been angry before. I don't know about love....tell me more about it."

If this wasn't the most bizarre conversation she'd ever had, Abby would eat her scarf. Here she was in bed with a man who had just had amazing sex with her, had loved her more thoroughly than she'd ever been before, and yet was asking her to explain one of the mysteries of the human condition. And worse, to explain an emotion almost impossible to define unless you experienced if for yourself. She must have zoned out before when she refocused, Stephen was looking anxiously at her. "What?" Abby asked.

"That line is back between your eyes. Don't you know what love is either?"

"Sorry....just took a little side trip. I do know what love is, but you have to realize that love is different things to different people. It's not as simple as anger, or fear or jealousy, those are easy to define emotions that we learn to recognize and deal with. Love can take you by surprise and catch you unaware." She traced the outline of his lips with the tip of her finger, fascinated at their shape and texture. "I love my parents, and I love Nick and Connor, they are all part of my family."

Stephen grinned crookedly at her. "Am I part of your family? Do you love me?"

Her heart started to thump painfully. "Would you like to be part of my family?" She knew she was not answering his question, was in fact leading him astray, but she couldn't help herself, she wanted to hear him say it, even if he had no idea of the implications, or real meaning behind the words.

"I would like that very much." His eyes danced, his smile making them crinkle at the corners. "Does that mean you love me too?"

This was it, the moment she committed herself, that she said the words that he would have no idea meant so much. "I do love you, I love you very much." She felt tears prickle behind her eyes and fought hard to avoid giving in to the emotions ripping through her.

Stephen remained seemingly unaware of the importance of what she'd just said, taking the words at face value, swooping in for a kiss, Abby feeling as if he was sucking her very soul through her lips. He pulled back, his joy evident in his eyes and smile. Something in her expression must have communicated itself to him, because the smile suddenly slipped, and he looked at her in all seriousness.

"You haven't told me everything, have you? There's more than just words to do with love. You say you love Nick and Connor, but you don't sleep with them, don't do what we do with them."

"No. I don't." Suddenly shy, she ducked her head to avoid looking at him.

"Then there is more, isn't there? There's something I'm not understanding, that you're not telling me. Why won't you tell me?"

His last question was almost fierce in its demand, her head snapping up to meet his angry eyes, an accusation in them that she knew she had to answer.

"There is more, much more, but I don't know how to tell you, to make you understand."

"Try....Please. I need to know. I have these feelings...strong feelings....for you, that are unlike anything I feel for Nick or Connor. I feel there's something just beyond my grasp that will make it all clear and you're the only one who can tell me what it is. Tell me Abby.....tell me what it is? Is it love?"

"I hope...." She stopped, knowing that she was only projecting her own feelings on him. "Oh Stephen, I can't tell you what it is, because it might not be that."

"Might not be what?" He stared at her, trying to read her mind, forcing her to look at him and reveal the secret he could see in her eyes. "Say it Abby.....tell me what it is?"

"NO!....I can't, I simply can't." Her voice, so forceful, tailed off to a whisper as she ducked her head again.

Frustrated, he almost gave in to the urge to fling himself out of the bed just to expend the energy crackling inside him. There was a mystery here, and he hated mysteries. He'd learnt so much in his short time with her, Abby teaching him a world of sensation with her body and her words, but there still remained something elusive, something held back that he just had to know, but she wasn't willing to tell him. That it had to do with this emotion she talked about, love, was obvious. That there was more to it than she was telling him was also a given, but he didn't know how to get her to explain it.

He felt as if a whirlpool had taken up residence in his brain, a swirling, ever changing emotion making it difficult to concentrate. Swallowing down his disappointment, he hugged her close, her hair tickling his nose. He knew, but couldn't explain how, that this love that she talked about was important to her, that somehow he had to fathom what she was trying to tell him, without her actually saying the words.

Of one thing he was sure, that what they had and what they did together was not apparently common to everyone, from what he'd observed. If it was, then surely the world would be a far happier place and violence would be unknown. No one could feel they way he did right now, and be anything other than happy with his lot.

He had seen flashes of this other love she spoke about, between parents and children and others, despite having no first hand knowledge himself. He'd seen it when they were out shopping, seen young people with their arms around each other, openly displaying their love for each other, children embracing their mothers with obvious emotions that could only be this love that Abby talked about. Those people had looked happy and content, he had even noticed that Nick, despite the air of quiet sorrow that seemed to always overshadow him, had a certain look come over his features when Jenny appeared or spoke to him.

He had thought he'd seen that look on Connor's face when he looked at Abby when he first met them, but not seeing the same on her face, he's dismissed it. Now he had a name for the feeling, he only had to sort through his memories to bring up several instances when he'd seen people acting in a way that he could now attribute to feeling love for each other. Was that what he was feeling for Abby?

He certainly felt something similar for Nick and Connor, accepting their friendship without reserve, even recognizing that Captain Becker felt and expressed camaraderie towards him. But what he felt for them was eclipsed by what he felt for this slip of a woman tucked tight against his side. He didn't have a name for it before, only a feeling that he was bonded to her in a way that defied explanations. Now he could name it – it was love.

Satisfied that he'd sorted out the conundrum, he smiled to himself, content that he'd solved the mystery. He loved Abby, and she loved him, she'd said so.

Z z z z z z z z z z z

The evacuation of the oil rig took longer than their arrival, each member of the group winched up in a basket to the hovering helicopters above, none of the machinery wanting to touch down on the larvae infested helipad. Becker and his men kept the ever hungry grubs away from the others while they waited to be air lifted off the platform.

Becker had obviously asked for more explosives, several bags dropped from one helicopter, the Captain sending his men off to set the charges, remaining behind after the last civilian was winched to safety. Nick had opted to be last, but as soon as the harness drew him aboard, the craft started to rise and turn back towards land, leaving two of the Bell jet rangers behind to collect Becker and his men before they blew the rig.

Connor had several samples of dead larvae wrapped in plastic at his feet, plus one cocoon, the contents still alive, to be taken back for classification and dissection. No one had been entirely happy to have included the chrysalis, but orders had come from higher up - that one was necessary - to see what the larvae were supposed to turn in to. Abby sat as far as possible from the remains, both living and dead, shooting the plastic wrapped items looks of disgust, before turning her attention to the view beyond the salt stained glass. Stephen longed to touch her, to offer comfort, but she had been emphatic - despite their lapse in the bunk room, they were to keep their distance during work hours, the trip back to the mainland considered to be part and parcel of their assignment.

The noisy, bone vibrating trip back to the Isle of Man was conducted without conversation or comment, each of the team wrapped up in their own thoughts, even Connor ignoring his lap top to stare sightlessly out the window at the grey sea far below.

Rick Jones, the rig Manager, sat slumped in the corner next to Nick, the poor man looking as if he'd aged a decade, since welcoming them aboard the platform in what had only been a little over twenty four hours previously. He had been assured that he wasn't responsible for what had happened, and that the destruction of the rig had been cleared at the highest level, effectively taking it out of his hands. Still, Rick looked like a condemned man, obviously dreading facing his employers and explaining why their multi-million dollar oil rig was nothing more than a smouldering wreck at the bottom of the Irish Sea.

None of them saw the final moments of the rig, unlike the two Bell Jet ranger helicopters standing well off from the platform, after winching up Becker and his men, the countdown brief before Becker thumbed the remote control.

A plume of bright light announced the first explosion, quickly followed by others, spurts of ignited gas flaring upwards and outwards as the buildings became infernos, consuming everything in a fireball as big as the deck itself. Black smoke billowed skyward as the pylons, supporting the platform, lost their integrity, buckling and weakening, sending the platform tilting at a crazy angle, everything not bolted down sliding over the side into the boiling sea below.

Fires raged out of control all over the rig, the cranes toppling over, rupturing more pipes and spilling oil into the conflagration, the two helicopters taking a slow sweep around the burning rig as another explosion rocked the platform, sending more of it into the sea and damaging the remaining supports causing it to start sinking.

Everything was caught on film, a record to ensure that nothing escaped, the cocoons swinging in what remained of the superstructure, also on fire, destroying the creatures within. A final, enormous explosion blew the platform apart, sending a rain of fire into the water, the surface littered all around with debris and the bodies of the larvae. A large oil slick started to fan out from the burning wreck, the support boats brought in to clean up, lowering a large boom to contain the worst of the spreading slick.

Inside the helicopters, they couldn't hear the final scream of burning metal as it collapsed under its own weight and sank beneath the waves, taking the last of the creatures with it, along with the thick smoke, leaving behind only one reminder of the near disaster of introducing a prehistoric creature into the modern world. The anomaly appeared out of the thick smoke, hanging suspended above the dark, debris covered water, the sparkling arms looking like pristine crystals as they lazily rotated like a glittering ball, light pulsating as it whirled in mid air.

Intent of the clean up, the spatial anomaly remained unnoticed, but gradually more and more of the crews aboard the ships left what they were doing, to stare at the extraordinary beauty of it amid such graphic evidence of man made destruction. Even as they watched open mouthed, the anomaly started to fade, the circular pattern becoming indistinct, shrinking in on itself until it was no more than a pin point, before being snuffed out of existence as if it had never been.

"Right. That's that. Back to base," Becker announced in clipped tones, tapping the pilot on the shoulder. At once, both helicopters swung away in tight formation, heading over the Irish Sea towards land, none of the men aboard looking back for a second to watch the clean up crew move in to search for, and remove, all evidence that anything had ever been there.

Z z z z z z z z z z z z z


	11. Back To Basics

Title: Sum of His Parts

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: Eleven – Back to Basics

Rating: NC17 – het lovin'

Pairing: Stabby

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Nick stared at the huddle of techs poring over the new species they'd brought back from the oil rig. He had completed all his paperwork and knew he should go and get cleaned up and changed, but he also wanted to see what had been inside the chrysalis, the brief glimpse from the fallen cocoon not enough to satisfy him. The others had retired to the common room after contributing their share of the necessarily paperwork, apparently no more eager than himself to go home yet. Their failure, as he saw it, to contain or return the creatures to their own time, as they strived to do when ever possible, weighed on him.

The situation had rapidly gone from a simple search and return, to a more serious escape and destroy before anything hatched and got loose into the environment. It was always there, at the back of their minds, that something would one day get away from them, a repeat of the fiasco with the Sabre tooth tiger, although to be fair, there was no way they could have anticipated that situation. Nick also knew that it was a distinct possibility that the anomalies were not confined just to the United Kingdom, that they could already have spread beyond the borders of Britain, the implication too mind boggling to contemplate.

Stephen's death had shown how impossible it was to let news of the creature incursions become public, Leek's abuse of the knowledge an indication that others would do the same, given half a chance. Too many people knew already. There was only the assertion that the general public would have a difficult time believing what was indeed the facts, that saved Lester and his superiors from having a public relations disaster on their hands. It couldn't last, not if this latest event was an indication of things to come. Who knew what would come through the next anomaly? Possibly something that no amount of fancy spin would be able to hide or cover up, and no amount of explosives or official secrets acts could gloss over or make invisible to the world at large.

Nick leant on the glass, staring at what was going on in the sealed dissection room, but not really seeing anything. Something else preyed on his mind - Stephen.

The clone, the impostor, the dead man walking in another's shoes. What would the world make of him? As far as Nick knew, none of the original Stephen's family or friends, other than those covered under the rubric of the ARC, knew of his return. Admittedly the clone hadn't been returned that long ago, and had proved his worth in more ways than one, but at the end of the day, he wasn't Stephen Hart. He certainly wasn't the man Nick had known all those years, the friend he'd seen die in a way that no man should witness, or experience, the colleague that he'd taught first as a student, then as an equal, and admired as an individual for his cool head and staunch support.

That Stephen was dead and buried, a victim of his, Nick Cutter's, own wife's treachery , and Leek's ambition. The new Stephen had his face, his body and maybe a little of his ingrained personality, but he was not Stephen, not Nick's Stephen.

Seeing the new man become so easily, and readily attached to Abby made some of the grief ease whenever he saw him. It was almost as if the new Stephen was more like a distant brother of the dead man, a relative with a physical similarity, but otherwise as unalike as it was possible. Maybe if he kept telling himself that, he'd believe it in time.

"Abby thought you might appreciate a drink." Stephen's voice, coming on top of his disordered thoughts, made Nick start in surprise. Turning, he took the mug held out to him.

"Thank you. Why are you guys still here? I'd have thought you'd have gone home by now."

"Connor wanted to update his data base, and Abby wanted a shower."

"Couldn't wait until she was home?" Nick asked, sipping his coffee.

"Apparently not," Stephen replied, his arms folded over his chest as he looked into the room beyond. The two men stood side by side, Nick feeling an ache at the familiarity of the scene.

"Nick? Can you answer me something?" Stephen finally broke the silence.

"Sure. What is it?" Nick turned to face the younger man, his eyes automatically scanning the familiar features, as if looking for something, despite knowing in his heart it wasn't there to start with.

"Do you love Abby?"

Nick didn't react, but lifted his cup and took a cautious sip. "Yes I do. Why do you ask?"

"I'm trying to understand something. You love her, but you don't.....you're not like us."

"I love her as a friend, and work mate. She's a member of my team," Nick explained. Stephen nodded, then spoke again.

"But you're not her father and not sleeping with her, but you still love her."

"Certainly. As I do Connor...as I did the other Stephen." Nick ignored the pang that twisted painfully in his heart. "But I'm not in love with Abby."

"In love?" Stephen had an intent look on his face, picking out the two words that were the nub of the matter.

"I love Abby, but I'm not in love with her. There's a difference."

"So I beginning to understand." Stephen flicked his gaze away from Nick to stare into the laboratory. "I think that Abby is in love with me."

Nick was glad he hadn't been sipping his drink, sure that he'd have spat if all over the glass window in front of him. "I see. And how do you feel about her?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I'm still learning the finer points of human interaction, and I know I'm making mistakes, but in this I think I might be right."

"I think so too," Nick told him, meeting Stephen's gaze. "What do you feel for Abby? How does she make you feel?"

"When I first saw her, I thought then that she was like no other woman I'd ever seen. Despite my inexperience, I have seen examples in art and literature that illustrate beauty, I have watched a few shows on the television, but they are too flat, too uninvolved to explain what love is. Abby asked me what I knew about love, and I had to admit I know very little. I have no parents, no close family, no frame of reference."

"You have us – your friends," Nick interrupted.

"But I don't sleep with you, I don't have sex with you or Connor or Becker. Does love only happen between people that are that way together?"

Nick gave himself a mental pat on the shoulder for not reacting to Stephen's plain speaking. It was statements like that, that showed up the difference between his Stephen and the young man standing beside him. "Not always. Love can happen between people who never even touch." Nick cleared his throat. "Love is a powerful emotion that can confuse and delight, and takes many forms and degrees." He set his cup down on the window ledge. "I think that if Abby does love you, then you are a very lucky man, and if you love her as well, then you both will be very happy together. My Stephen's death hit us all hard, Abby included, and having you returned to us has been a gift we never hoped for. But don't think that she would confuse you with him. If she loves you, she loves you for yourself alone, not because you resemble someone she knew before."

He could almost see the wheels turning in the younger man's head while he chewed over what Nick had said. At last Stephen looked up and met Nick's eyes. "Thank you. I think I understand a little better now what love is."

Nick couldn't help himself and laughed out loud. "Then you'll be the first man in the history of the human race to do so. Out of all the emotions a human being is capable of, love is the most enigmatic and elusive, the most incomprehensible of them all. Good luck with Abby, Stephen, she's worth the trouble she'll cause you."

Stephen gave Nick a quizzical look for several seconds, then grinned. "Thank you Nick. I think I'll let her take me home now. Goodnight."

"Night Stephen....you're none of you expected in tomorrow, unless there's an emergency, so pass that on to Abby and Connor for me."

"Will do. Bye..."

Nick watched as Stephen walked away, a jaunty swagger in the swing of his hips before he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. He was glad for the young couple, certainly not surprised that both were pretty much head over heels for each other. It reminded him of those early days between him and Helen, before it had all gone sour and she'd gone missing.

Shaking his head to sweep away bitter sweet memories, he left his post and wandered down the hallway to his office, no longer interested in what the tech heads found or didn't find. It was time he opened that envelope and read what his Stephen had written, for good or bad, maybe it would help ease some of the ache inside him. At worst, he could hide in his office and drink some of that fine malt while he reminisced to himself about times past, and the people he'd loved and lost.

God, he felt old.

Z z z z z z z z z z z

Connor threw his bag across the floor before throwing himself onto the nearest couch. "Thank God we're home!" A chirrup from across the room announced the appearance of Rex, the brightly coloured Coelurosauravus leaping from the top of the bookshelf onto the back of the couch.

Abby and Stephen, following him into the spacious living area both heartily agreed, although they didn't voice it. Abby wandered into the kitchen, intent on a decent cup of tea, while Stephen joined Connor on the couch, tossing the younger man's legs off the cushions to make space. Rex welcomed the newcomer with a series of clicking whistles, his head bobbing as he traversed the length of the couch.

"Anyone fancy a cuppa?" Abby called out, the sound of her filling the kettle drowning out their answers. She stuck her head around the corner to get their answers, and had to smile at the sight of her two flatmate's sprawled on the couch, her pet contemplating the two dark heads as if deciding which one to take a bite out of. "Hey, I'm putting the kettle on. Pot or mug?"

"I'll have a coffee," Connor replied, not moving or bothering to open his eyes.

"I'll have whatever you're having," Stephen added, giving Abby a smouldering look that made her toes curl in her sneakers, and a blush steal up over her neck and face. Connor cracked open an eye, saw them staring at each other and threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"For heaven's sake.."Connor groaned theatrically, rolling his eyes, "forget the coffee...I feel a sudden craving for gooseberry jam. I'm off, see you guys in the morning." Heaving himself off the couch, he slouched away to his room, snagging his bag and dragging it behind him, exhaustion in every movement. The slamming of the door snapped Abby out of her trance.

"Tea it is then," She replied brightly, ducking back into the kitchen and fanning herself with her hand as she went. Just that one look had been enough to banish any feelings of tiredness, or desire to sleep.

To distract herself she read the note left by her house minder, detailing what had been done for her reptiles in her absence. With her back to the door she didn't hear Stephen enter until his arm slid around her, pulling her back against his hard chest, his mouth finding her neck and nibbling, further distracting her. She tilted her head to give him great access, the note forgotten as she gave herself up to his broad hands and seductive mouth. Rex landed on the kitchen table with a skitter of claws, once more jerking her out of her delightful lethargy, Stephen lifting his head to stare down at the reptile chittering for their attention.

"I think Rex wants something."

"Probably his tea," Abby murmured, still in thrall to the hands smoothing over her waist and hips. "I'd better feed him." Pulling away reluctantly, she went to the fridge and found the container of meal worms, not really thinking before pulling off the lid.

In horror, she stared down at the sluggishly wriggling mass of worms before letting out a small scream and dropping the lot on the floor, where they scatters all around her feet. Rex instantly swooped down and started to gobble down the tasty treats, Abby dancing about his head as she tried to get away from the squirming prey.

Stephen quickly scooped her off her feet and carried her out of the kitchen. Abby clung to him and shuddered, her nightmare coming back to haunt her. Once in the living room he lowered her to her feet, Abby still clutching at his shirt, her face buried against his chest. He didn't speak, just held her loosely while she regained some measure of control over herself.

"Oh God, this is awful. I feel such an idiot. They're only meal worms....but when I saw them....I just....oh, they were horrible." She made to pull away but Stephen held her in place, his hand stroking over her hair and keeping her face up against his heart, the steady beat calming her.

"It's okay, you'll get over it. You did the last time," Stephen murmured, keeping up the steady stroking.

"Connor told you then?"

"About the time with the giant worms in the office block? Sure. He said you punched one and sent it to the floor," he related, grinning as he imagined her standing up to the slimy beasts. "But he also said you had nightmares for weeks afterwards. You got over it then and you will again."

"I've always hated worms and maggots, which is pretty funny coming from a lizard girl, don't you think? I don't usually mind the tiny ones, I deal with them, you know? But these big buggers...they just squick me out and give me the heaves. So stupid......."

"Not stupid. Not stupid at all." He allowed her to pull back, Abby tilting her chin to better look up into his face. "I can think of a way to take your mind off them." he waggled his eyebrows, making her laugh.

"I'm sure you can, but I now have a mess to clean up in the kitchen. I can't leave those things to crawl around the floor." She shuddered at the thought.

Stephen chuckled. "I don't think they'll be anything left crawling anywhere once Rex has finished in there."

"Oh Lord........Rex!" Abby pulled out of his arms and jogged back to the kitchen door, Rex doing just as Stephen said, happily munching his way through the windfall in meal worms, nosing the plastic pot in case he missed any hiding in the container.

Abby giggled and turned to smile up at Stephen standing behind her. "I won't have to feed him for a week now."

Stephen stared down at her face, his own lips pulling into a smile to echo her own, a spike of something sharp but pleasurable stabbing him in the chest, making him draw in a sharp breath to ease it. "Let's go to bed."

The smile on her face didn't slip, but her eyes opened a fraction wider at his bald invitation. "Okay."

Rex lifted his head from inside the meal worm container and watched as the two humans left the kitchen, hand in hand. He chirruped, but the female didn't look back, following the male without hesitation.

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His hands slid up her flank, coming to rest on her thigh – warm and silky and flushed with satisfaction. He drew her leg up to wrap around his waist, opening her further, allowing him to seat himself more deeply inside her, making her gasp and sigh. He never tired of that sound, learning all the places on her body that produced those noises that so heightened his own pleasure. He looked down at where their bodies joined, pulling out a little way before burying himself again, her breathy gasp his reward, his eyes flicking up to meet hers, fire leaping between them as he moved again.

"Is this distracting enough?" he teased, leaving his lower body to carry on while he employed his mouth on her pert breasts. Abby arched against him, her hands clutching at his head to keep him there.

"Just don't stop.....this is.....wonderful."

It had become a contest, to find all the ways he could get her to make those noises that shot blood straight to his cock, his reward the knowledge that it bound her more tightly to him, made her love him that little bit more every time he drew the sounds from her throat, the breath from her lips and the responses of her beautiful body with his touch. It all came together to make his own experience richer and more satisfying, more intense. He never tired of it, each time a new exploration of uncharted territory, a new discovery that brought them both to the brink and beyond.

Right now he was on that brink, his body powering into her, Abby digging her nails into his arm and keening deep in her throat, an answering growl from his own presaging his climax seconds later. For a sublime moment it seemed as if they hung suspended, absorbed one into the other until they were seamless, inseparable, meshed. Then the moment passed, lungs noisily dragged in quivering air while tendons and limbs trembled in the aftermath, heat bathing them both with a sheen of sweat.

Drowsy blue eyes met his a minute or two later, her kiss swollen lips smiling up at him, his hands bracketing her head.

"Hard..to...believe...that..this...is all...still so...new...to you," Abby panted.

His heart still hammering in his chest, Stephen lowered his head and kissed her, their lips clinging for a moment before parting. "It's instinctive."

"Gotta.. love.. those.. instincts," Abby whispered, lifting a hand to stroke the planes of his face, twisting her hand to skim the backs of her fingers down his cheek. "I love every one of your instincts." She squeezed her internal muscles. "Especially this one."

With a twitch of his hips, he pushed his semi hard cock back inside her, hissing as over sensitized flesh protested. Everything felt liquid and soft and incredibly hot inside her, their bodies melded together like metal where ever they touched. They remained that way for several minutes before Abby shifted.

"I want to be on top this time," Abby announced, pushing at Stephen's shoulders to get him to move.

When he was on his back, she straddled him, his body still only semi hard, needing her to take matters into her own hands. Kissing her way down his body, she pinned him to the pillows with a look and a firm hand before moving down his legs to give her access to his sex. Looking up, she stared up the long length of his body, meeting his quizzical gaze as her hand wrapped itself around him, stroking slowly. "You're going to love this, so lay back and just feel."

Stephen could only do as he was told, watching fascinated while Abby lapped at his rapidly reviving sex, his eyes slamming shut when she took him into her mouth, his head arching back at the incredible sensation of her tongue against his hardened flesh. "Abby....oh....wow...." was all he could articulate while her hands and mouth worked to build up the tension again.

After several minutes of loving attention, Abby moved back up his body to straddle him again, her hand guiding him into her body, her weight sinking down on to him even deeper than before.

The sight of her lithe, pale body above him was a new experience that he was adding to his top five list of things he wanted to see very often, preferably every day if that was possible. Watching her take her pleasure, taking control of the speed and depth of the sex act was a wonder, and intensely stimulating to see, his fingers reaching for her, only to be pinned by her own slender hands, her mouth finding his sensitive nipples and giving them the same attention she'd lavished on his cock only minutes before.

If making love to Abby was heaven on earth, he had to admit that having her make love to him came a close second. All too soon he was thrusting up into her, straining to reach his peak, his hands gripping her thighs as he bucked upwards, his climax making him shout her name as he emptied his essence into her body, Abby taking it all, shuddering in her own release before falling forward to be captured and held in his arms once more.

He was almost asleep when he heard the faintest of whispers from the woman at his side. She was almost asleep herself, but she couldn't give in to the urge to sleep before telling him her secret, believing that he didn't hear it.

He did.

The words "I love you," made his heart swell in his chest. He repeated the words over and over in his head, committing her voice to his memory, his own lips forming the words but voicing them soundlessly, the woman who they were intended for already sleeping peacefully, still unaware that she was as deeply loved as she herself loved.

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	12. Unexpected Side Effects

Title: Sum of His Parts

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: Twelve – Unexpected Side Effects

Rating: PG13

Pairing: Stabby

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They had a week's grace before three anomalies appeared in quick succession, splitting the team in an effort to cope with the overload. Connor and Abby were sent with a team to catalogue and document the contents of a small, steaming lake that had formed alongside one anomaly in the Dartmoor forest. Nick and Stephen were sent to capture, and return, a small herd of Scutellosaurus that had appeared running over a relatively deserted stretch of the North Yorkshire moors, bordered by thick plantation forest that was criss-crossed with roads and access tracks.

A third anomaly opened up just as Nick and Stephen, along with the larger of the two contingents of special ops soldiers, managed to round up the skittish herbivores and pen them, ready for the truck coming to transport them back to the anomaly site. They got the news of the new anomaly as they sat on their motorcycles, keeping watch in case any of the very agile, armoured creatures decided to make a break for freedom.

"Excuse me, Professor - Lester on the phone!" Nick took the proffered field radio from the soldier and listened intently to the latest news, giving only grunted replies before handing it back to the waiting communications officer. Stephen remained silent, waiting for Nick to finish.

"Looks like we're needed elsewhere," Nick explained. "Another anomaly has opened, this time in not quite so isolated a situation. Jenny is going to have her work cut out keeping this one under wraps."

"Where?" Stephen asked, swinging his leg over, off the bike, before handing it over to one of the soldiers to wheel away.

"Place called Dunford Hollow, near a town called Midhurst, in the Rother Valley, just north of the South Downs."

Stephen looked blankly at Nick, still fuzzy on English geography.

"South Coast, Surrey," Nick elucidated. "Heavily cultivated, and populated in places, which is what is causing a problem with this latest anomaly."

"What's the creature?" Stephen asked, already walking towards the Toyota parked around the other side of the temporary pens.

"A late Cretaceous predator called Dromaeosaurus, not big, about six feet fully grown, but like Velociraptors, they hunt in packs. At least four have been reported in the area, bringing down sheep and cattle, with a host of eye witnesses for each attack. This is a messy one."

"Are they bringing Abby and Connor in on this?" They were climbing into the cab, Nick driving, while one of Becker's men climbed into the back.

"Probably. Lester wasn't specific. He just said a team was waiting for us to join them. We're due to catch a plane at a private airfield just west of here, which is why Sergeant Carter is coming with us. He gets to drive the Toyota back."

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Stephen cocked the tranquillizer gun and sighted along the barrel. He had one of the creatures dead in his sights. Squeezing the trigger he saw the dart hit home, the long front arms scrabbling to find the feathered tube hanging off its hide, near the juncture of its neck and shoulder. The Dromaeosaurus disappeared from his line of sight, crashing around in the bushes and making distressed noises that Stephen hoped would bring his pack mates to investigate.

It had taken a day to figure out the game trails the carnivores were using, the domestic animals in the immediate area all now safely penned, in barns and yards for the most part. Tracking the predators had been difficult through the thick woodlands, a lucky break near the quarry giving them clear prints by which to judge their size and weight, backed up by eye witness accounts of their speed and hunting techniques.

The anomaly itself had been discovered in a dense thicket, as yet undiscovered by the already nervous local population. As with all creature sightings, some of the reports were being treated as a hoax or put down to too much imbibing of the local ale. Jenny was putting in long hours creating a cover story for the influx of vehicles and uniformed men into the area, putting about the story of an escaped zoo animal, highly dangerous, to keep people from taking too much interest in Dunford Hollow while they worked to contain the creatures and return them back to their own time.

They were in luck that the dinosaurs were only small, comparatively speaking, measuring roughly six feet from tail tip to nose, sporting longer front arms than usually found, plus an inflexible tail for balance when they ran, which they did and quickly.

Stephen could hear, in the distance, the team driving the creatures towards him, the gun once more loaded and ready as he glanced towards the hide concealing his back up shooter, Abby, just twenty feet from where he crouched. Further back, as a precaution, were several soldiers patrolling the heavy netting put in place to prevent the creatures from escaping past Stephen and Abby. The soldiers were also armed with tranquillizer guns, in the event they had to use force to subdue the creatures or the first shots didn't work.

A rustle to his left was all the warning he got before a body rushed out of the trees at him, a second creature appearing as if out of thin air to his right in a classic ambush. Stephen managed to get one shot off before rolling to avoid the snapping jaws and raking claws of the first attacker. He heard Abby's gun and a shout, but was too busy fending off his creature to pay much attention, the barrel of his gun jammed between rows of wickedly sharp teeth, long reptilian arms reaching out to tear at his clothes, ripping gouges in his Kevlar vest despite Stephen repeatedly kicking the beast in the chest.

At last the creature backed off, allowing Stephen to get to one knee and see the fight taking place between Abby and the other Dromaeosaurus. It had her backed up against the hide, a feathered plume, sticking out of one hind leg, testament that she'd got one shot off before it tackled her.

"Are you alright?" Stephen shouted, using his gun like a club and clouting his reptile making it back off further and hiss angrily at him.

"Just peachy...where are those damn soldiers!"

Stephen could hear people running towards them, crashing through the undergrowth, a sudden volley of darts finding both carnivores, the reptiles leaving off their attacks to stagger away before collapsing on the forest floor. Several black clad soldiers burst into the small clearing, weapons trained on the downed carnivores.

"Are you both unharmed?" One of the men called, not leaving his position by the downed Theropods.

Stephen looked across to Abby, who looked back at him and nodded. "We're fine. That's three down, just one more to go." Getting to his feet, he walked over to where Abby stood, her hands on her knees, head down. Putting his hand on her shoulder he leant down to bring his head near to hers.

"Are you okay?"

"Just reaction. They came out of nowhere, I couldn't risk shooting them in case I got you.....I never saw or heard anything before they ambushed you."

"Neither did I. We're lucky they aren't that big."

"Big enough, look at your vest!" She reached up and ran a finger along the grooves, gouged out by the long killing claws the predators used to disembowel their prey. "Thank God you were wearing it."

"Come on, lets gather up the gear, we still have one more to track down." He wrapped his hand around her arm and tugged her into the hide, their bags in one corner. Dropping the gun onto the heap he suddenly turned and pulled her into his arms, his mouth finding hers in an almost violent kiss, Abby quickly getting over her surprise and participating enthusiastically, her hands digging into his scalp to keep him melded to her, mouth to mouth, the temperature in the hide rising as the seconds passed. They broke apart, pupils wide and chest's heaving as they dragged in air, adrenaline starting to drain away, sexual tension replacing the fear of before.

"We can't do this here, the men are just outside."

"I know, I just had to kiss you."

"Kiss me again," Abby demanded, rising up on tiptoe to meet him as they clashed together, almost devouring each other in the aftermath of their close encounter with prehistoric predators. Just as quickly they broke apart again, stepping away to allow blood and hearts to stop pounding, the hut now claustrophobic with the tension between them. Abby snagged her gun and back pack, leaving the hide and her lover behind, her face flushed and hair tussled.

Stephen did the same but more slowly, emerging into the cool green of the woods looking as composed as always. The soldiers had secured the creatures, including the one that had been shot prior to the orchestrated attack, and were keeping watch for any sign of the remaining member of the predators pack, tranquillizer guns at the ready. Stephen heard a radio crackle, Nicks voice clearly audible despite the distortion of the small microphone.

"Professor Cutter and Mr. Temple will meet you here shortly," the radio operator informed them both, after replying to Nick's message and thumbing off the connection. Stephen nodded his understanding, then went to stand beside Abby who was staring down at the hog-tied Theropods.

"Makes a pleasant change from worms at least," Stephen offered, flashing her a smile which she returned, before turning her attention back to the creatures.

"It was like watching that scene from Jurassic Park all over again." Abby shivered and clutched her gun more tightly.

"I don't think I've seen that one....does Connor have it on dvd?" Stephen asked, determined to pull her out of her strange mood.

Abby laughed. "If there's a dinosaur, real or imagined in it, Connor has it. I think he recently brought the deluxe, widescreen blue ray collectors set of all three Jurassic Park movies, including making of's, as a present to himself." She shook her head. "The boy is borderline obsessive."

"All adds to his database, which you have to admit, is quite useful."

Abby snorted. "Don't let Connor hear you say that. According to him, the Velociraptor they used in the movie were completely wrong. Apparently their heads were the wrong shape, and they were way too big."

Stephen smiled, glad to see that Abby was starting to relax again, her shoulders no longer stiff, normal colour coming back to her cheeks. A few minutes later Nick and Connor appeared from a side path, Connor making appropriately awed noises when he spied the trussed up raptors. Nick approached them, clapping Stephen in the shoulder.

"You got them all?"

"No. Just one. The men got the others, which is just as well as they were trying to make a meal of us."

"Are you both alright?" Nick asked, a worried frown creasing his forehead. His gaze took in the long gashes in Stephen's Kevlar vest before skimming over Abby, noting the tense lines around her mouth. "Are you sure you're both okay?"

"Nothing damaged, Nick," Abby reassured him, "just a bit knocked about. I need to brush up on my hand-to-hand combat sometime, although I'm not sure they cover hand-to-dinosaur contact."

"Plus we're not safe yet, there's another one out there somewhere," Stephen added, "and probably not far from where we are. He'll be looking for his mates."

Connor looked up from his inspection of the creatures at his feet. "Can't we use these as bait or something? Set a trap?"

"Already ahead of you," Becker announced. "If you would all return to the hide, you can keep watch from there. My men will be by the netting, and in the trees." He pointed to two of the stouter tree trunks, one man already positioned in the fork half way up. "All you should have to do is watch. We'll do the rest."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like us to just toddle off and leave all of it to you?" Nick couldn't help asking, his tone sarcastic. "I don't know why you have us around at all, if you'd rather we kept right out of it!"

"Nick!" Abby gasped at the Professors uncharacteristic rudeness to the Special Ops Captain. Stephen also looked surprised, as did Connor. Becker just raised a dark eyebrow and hefted his dart gun.

"I have my orders Professor," Becker retorted, his tone as level and deferential as ever, the casual wave of his hand indicating for them to head for the camouflaged hide.

Stephen hustled Connor and Abby towards the hide, leaving Nick, who glared pointedly at the Captain before turning on his heel and following his team mates. As soon as he did, Becker spun on his heel and started to fire off orders to his men.

Light filtered in through the netting covering the frame of the hide, the small hut cramped with all four of them inside. Stephen was standing at the narrow slit that looked out over the clearing, his hands busy as he prepared and loaded his gun. Nick kicked at something on the ground, ignoring everyone while Connor and Abby exchanged a look and kept out of his way.

"It's out there," Stephen hissed, raising his dart gun. Abby stretched up to see better, keeping clear of Stephen's side, so as not to impede his movement, while Connor flanked her, his head bobbing as he tried to see over Stephen's shoulder.

The Dromaeosaurus was still concealed in a dense thicket, its mottled skin providing effective camouflage, hiding it from the men waiting to trap it. The narrow head was angled to give it an unimpeded view of its captured pack mates, the dark eyes surveying the scene with precise reptilian cunning.

One of the men perched in the trees must have seen it and got off a shot, hitting the creatures, because it jumped right out of the bush into plain view, immediately standing upright and sprinting towards its pack mates, mouth wide. Stephen got off a shot but instantly cursed when the shot went wide, missing the target. The pint sized dinosaur leapt into the air, in an attempt to reach the soldier up the tree who was hurriedly reloading his gun, the long arms reaching out to snag any part of the animal in black the reptile could reach. Instead it laid itself open to a hail of flying darts, all of them finding their mark, the dinosaur succumbing to the flood of tranquillizer in its system and falling back to earth, to join its insensible fellows.

Inside the hide, Connor punched the air and rushed out to do a victory dance. Abby, after laying a sympathetic hand on Stephens arm, went out as well, leaving Nick and Stephen behind.

"Why are you so angry?" Stephen asked, turning to face the older man, the gun held loosely in the crook of his arm.

"I'm not angry...." Nick started to say, looking up to see the look of stark disbelief on Stephen's face. "I'm not angry, I'm furious."

"With Captain Becker?"

"Of course not!" Nick exploded, swinging his arms in the small hut and making Stephen flinch back to avoid being clouted on the ear.

"Then you've got everyone fooled."

Nick could feel the blood pounding at his temple. "Look, I don't have to explain every bloody mood change to all and sundry!!"

Seeing a vein starting to pop on Nick's forehead, Stephen took a step back in an attempt to placate him "Forget I asked....I just thought...if Becker had done something or if any of us...." He trailed off, Nick rounding on him and glaring, as if trying to flay the skin from his bones.

"Why can't you all leave me the hell alone!" Nick hissed, his teeth clenched, lips drawn back, flecks of spittle dotting his mouth and chin. "You're nothing but a fucking clone, and a pretty poor one at that!" With a balled fist, Nick knocked the gun from Stephen's hand, taking advantage of the small space and Stephen's shocked surprise. He quickly followed that move with a swing at Stephen's head, the younger man recovering himself in time to duck the blow and defend himself against the enraged man.

"Nick!" Stephen fended off another flurry of blows, not wanting to return any, Nick now wild eyed and swinging wildly, off balance as he tried to land a fist on Stephen's face. Abby and Connor appeared in the doorway, shock immobilizing them until Becker roughly shoved them to one side, jumping into the fray even as Stephen managed to get Nick into a hold, Becker adding his weight so that the older man quickly found himself on his face on the dirt floor, his arms and legs secured with plastic ties, expletives still falling from his lips like poison darts. Suddenly the tirade stopped, the sudden silence almost as shocking as the flow of swear words.

"Oh God," Abby's gasp fell into the sudden silence as both Becker and Stephen knelt beside Cutter before rolling him over, only to find their captive unconscious, his face not longer contorted with anger. Becker hurriedly made a call on his radio.

"What the hell happened?" Connor asked, watching wide eyed as a stretcher party appeared to carry the insensible man out of the concealing hide and into the clearing beyond.

"He'd out for the count...do you really need those zip ties?" Abby asked, jogging beside the stretcher as two of Becker's men carried Cutter away from the site, to one of the vehicles beyond the netting.

"Just until we get him on a gurney and secure him for transport," Becker told her, "now you need to keep back." He held out a hand to hold Abby back as his men loaded Cutter onto the back seat of one of their large utilities. Stephen was still standing in the doorway of the hide, looking bewildered and lost, Connor a few steps in front of him with a similar expression on his face. Abby looked as if she was about to argue with Becker, but something in his expression silenced her and she stood back, never taking her eyes off Nick until they shut the door and the vehicle started to move.

"Where are you taking him?" Abby shouted to Becker through the passenger side window, but the Captain chose to ignore her, signalling for the driver to head out, leaving behind the heap of sleeping reptiles, a trio of very confused people and a handful of very edgy soldiers..

Connor came up and put a comforting arm about Abby's shoulder. "What the hell just happened here?"

Abby stared after the truck until it was out of sight, then shrugged Connor's arm off, spun around, and started to walk back to where Stephen stood. "What on earth did you say to Nick to get him in such a state?" she asked, confusion evident..

Stephen spread his hands, "I have no idea....I just asked him why he was so angry....if maybe one of us had done something...and he just took a swing at me." He didn't bother to repeat what Nick had shouted at him, pretty sure that anyone within a mile radius would have had to be deaf, not to have heard what was said in the hide. "Did I do something wrong?"

Abby rubbed at her forehead, her brows drawn together in an attempt to figure out what had gone wrong. "I don't know, I really don't." Connor approached, his expression grave.

"I don't know what it was, but something was bugging him. He was kinda off, don't ask me what I mean, I just mean he wasn't quite himself, but perked up when we arrived here."

"He seemed alright then.....but he got snarky with Becker before we went into the hide. It's not like him to be so...well no, that's not true, he can be rude...but usually there's a good reason." Abby tried to rationalize what had happened. Beside her, Connor was starting to twitch, his dark brows coming together in a ferocious frown, his shoulders bunching up around his ears.

"Shows how much you fucking know, doesn't it? Miss I-know-bloody-everything!" Connor's lightning mood change took them all by surprise, the usually mild mannered Connor suddenly looking as if he hated the world, and everyone in it. Abby backed away from him, Stephen stepping forward to provide a shield as Connor started to windmill his arms.

"Connor, what's the matter?" Abby asked, fear in her voice. First the Professor, now Connor acting irrationally. "Are you feeling alright?"

The other special ops soldiers were forming a loose circle around the young man, a wary look passing between them as they recognized the symptoms, suspecting that whatever had happened to Cutter, was also happening to Connor.

Connor saw them moving to cover him and swung around, a knife appearing from nowhere in his hand, the blade flashing as he held it out from his body, sweeping it in wide arcs to keep everyone a bay. "Don't come near me....stay back! I know how to use this, and the first person who comes too close gets cut...do you hear me?" His voice was rising to a near scream, the soldiers on high alert now a weapon was being brandished.

"Put it down Connor...for God's sake, what are you doing?" Abby, from behind Stephen, was staring at her friend in disbelief. Stephen kept his eyes on the younger man, reading Connor's eyes for a flicker, the only warning he would get if Connor decided to attack.

"Put the knife down, son, you don't want to hurt anyone." One of the soldiers tried to talk to Connor, but that only seemed to enrage him further, Connor lashing out, missing the man by a wide margin, but clearly intending to injure anyone who came close.

"Back off, you bastards. I'll kill you....rip your throats out...I'll......I'll......" Without warning, Connor suddenly crumpled to the ground, the knife dropping from his nerveless fingers as his eyes rolled back in his head.

"Connor!" Abby screamed, but was held back by Stephen from running to her friend, the soldiers swarming over the fallen youth, quickly securing the knife and searching him for other weapons, before tying his hands before his body. "He's sick, can't you see?"

"He's unconscious miss....just like the Professor." The corporal turned to one of the other men, "get on the radio and inform the Captain, we have another casualty, and call for reinforcements to get these reptiles back to the anomaly and off our hands."

Abby stood clutching Stephen's sleeve, watching as the men trussed Connor and placed him on another stretcher, before carrying him over to one of the remaining vehicles, to be whisked away, leaving only three of the special ops behind. All the men were staring fixedly at Stephen and Abby, possibly waiting for them to start exhibiting the same symptoms of rage and paranoia as Connor and Nick had just displayed.

Abby shifted closer to Stephen, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes wide. "What's happening Stephen? Am I next?"

"Maybe you both should go and stay in the remaining vehicle.....just in case," the man left in charge suggested, the men not lowering their weapons. "And if you would hand over the weapon, sir?"

Slowly, Stephen lowered his tranquillizer gun to the ground. The rumble of a large truck drew their attention, two of the men remaining where they were while the other approached those in the truck with an update of what was happening. With the arrival of reinforcements, Abby and Stephen were escorted to their own silver Toyota and made to sit in the back seat after being checked for further weapons, still under armed guard, while the rest of the troop manhandled the sleeping reptiles into the back of the truck ready to transport to the anomaly and freedom.

Abby had laced her fingers with Stephen as soon as they were in the silver truck, her bottom lip worried by her teeth, her eyes on the man guarding them.

"I don't understand....what could have possibly affected Nick and Connor, but left us alone, along with the soldiers?" Abby mused out loud, going back over, in her head, what they had all done that afternoon, after Cutter and Stephen had arrived. There had been little time to spend on chit-chat, the need to track and contain the predators of paramount importance, given the proximity to the small township of Midhurst.

They watched in silence as the truck left with its load of Dromaeosaurus, the remaining two men packing up the hide and netting before dumping it all on the deck behind the double cab, then entering the front cab, the soldier on the passenger side turning to face Stephen and Abby, a loaded gun in his hand.

"Is that really necessary?" Stephen asked, feeling Abby press closer to his side.

"Sorry, sir, but orders are to keep you under close surveillance until we reach the hospital."

"Hospital? But there's nothing wrong with us," Stephen retorted, exchanging a look with Abby.

"Military hospital, sir. You'll both be placed in quarantine and tested."

"And the rest of Becker's men?"

"The same, sir. Even the men taking those creatures back will have to be thoroughly checked over before returning to active duty."

The remainder of the ride was conducted in silence, none of the questions posed by either Abby or Stephen answered by the driver or his partner, the gun remaining pointed at the occupants of the back seat until they passed through the tall, wire gates leading into the military base. They could see the vehicles, that had taken Nick and Connor away, parked outside a building as nondescript as the rest of the barracks and bunkers that made up the base. Their driver took them up to a pair of double doors marked with hazard signs, this time the guards on duty dressed in hazmat suits but still with guns at the ready. Stephen and Abby got out of the truck and stood uncertainly as the vehicle was driven off.

"This way please, sir, miss...." One of the hazmat suited soldiers pressed a button and one side of the double door started to slide open, just enough to allow them to enter, before closing again with a loud clang once they were inside.

Immediately, Abby and Stephen were separated, despite their protests, to be stripped, showered, inspected from head to toe by medical personnel before having blood drawn. Through it all, no-one answered any of their questions either about what was happening, or where Nick or Connor were. After an hour of being pulled about, they were returned, in borrowed army fatigues, to await the results in a hermetically sealed room, a glass wall making up one side.

On seeing Stephen alive and unharmed, Abby ran over and threw herself in his arms, relieved that their ordeal, for the time being, was over. Stephen hugged her tight, glad to see her still unaffected by whatever had overcome the others, her slight body quivering against his, a fierce urge to protect making him maintain his hold on her, while moving them over to sit down on one of the two bunk beds set up in the room for them to use.

"God, this is a nightmare," Abby muttered, lifting her head to squint at the strip lights above before turning her head to take in the sparse accommodation. "Not exactly the Ritz....or even a decent motel!" She caught the look of confusion on Stephen's face, lifting her hand to hold it against his cheek for a moment. "I just mean it's a little light on furniture."

"That's what I think you call an understatement," Stephen replied, loosening his hold but keeping one arm around her. He was aware that they were under close surveillance, despite not being able to see the hidden camera's and concealed bugs. "You feeling alright?"

Abby saw the worry in his eyes and nodded. "I'm fine....you?"

He shrugged. "Nothing.....apart from feeling irritated that no one would answer any of my questions."

"Same. I've been racking my brains, trying to think what could have caused this, what they could have been exposed to, that we weren't, to have cause this....whatever it is."

Stephen just shook his head, unable to add anything useful. They saw someone approaching the clear glass wall, the figure resolving itself into Sir James Lester, flanked on either side by white coated medical technicians. Abby and Stephen rose as one and approached the glass wall.

"How are Nick and Connor?" Abby asked, not waiting for Lester to speak. The ministry man looked pained for a second before speaking.

"They are sedated, for the time being. It would appear those samples you brought back from the rig contained more than just prehistoric bug remains." Lester waited a beat to let that sink in before continuing. "You were all exposed to a parasite carried on the larvae, a fact not discovered before you were sent out in the field again. Becker and his men were not affected in quite the same way, although they are in isolation as well.....now. It would appear their constant booster shots, required for travel overseas, against all known diseases and virus was enough to prevent the parasite getting a hold. The same could not be said for Professor Cutter and Connor."

"What about me?" Abby piped up, "I haven't had that much in the way of inoculations, apart from the usual childhood ones, and tetanus when I was working at the Zoo."

Lester smiled thinly, flicking a glance at Stephen before returning Abby's gaze. "You didn't need to. You had Stephen."

Abby could feel a blush heat up the tips of her ears. "What..w-what do you mean?"

Lester folded his arms across his chest and turned slightly to face Stephen. "It would seem whoever created you, and prepared to send you out into the world, did so with a comprehensive shield of protection for you against all known, and quite possibly some still unknown, pathogens, parasites and diseases." He waited a second or two for his captive audience to absorb this extraordinary statement, then carried on. "And with Miss Maitland becoming intimately acquainted with you, you have passed on this immunity to her. We're thinking it's some sort of Nanite technology at work, but can't be sure at this stage. Further testing will confirm the hypothesis."

"Nanites?" Abby repeated faintly, looking down at her hands as if able to see the microscopic robots scuttling about her skin. Stephen looked worriedly from Lester to Abby.

"Can they hurt her?"

"No....you could say they've saved her."Lester smiled thinly. "Although we still don't know what affect this will have on your unborn child at this stage....er....you'd better catch her!" Lester's last remark was largely redundant, Stephen already having caught Abby as she slumped, insensible in his arms, carrying her to bed to lay her down.

"What's happening?" Stephen shouted, glancing back angrily at Lester and the techs, who watched them through the glass.

"I think she fainted," Lester drawled before speaking hurriedly to the two medical technicians. The door to the quarantine room was unlocked and Lester entered with the others. One of the techs broke a glass vial and waved the acrid contents under Abby's nose, reviving her. Abby sat up, waving away the medical tech, screwing her nose up against the smell.

"What happened?" she asked, peering up at Lester and Stephen.

"You fainted," Lester replied dryly

"Why?" Abby persisted, scowling.

"Most probably because I just told you you're carrying Stephen's child."

Abby couldn't help herself and gaped. "That's not possible...I'm on the pill! And anyway...it's far too soon to tell!"

"Apparently not. Possibly the same technology that allowed his immunity to protect you, negated the effects of your contraceptive. Whatever the explanation, you are quite emphatically pregnant." Lester glanced around the room. "Cigar anyone?"

Stephen had kept silent throughout the exchange, watching and listening but having difficulty absorbing what was being said. Abby was obviously upset after recovering from that frightening faint. Lester was not as upset and in fact seemed to be taking some sort of pleasure from the announcement. He couldn't quite place his own feelings, only that he felt completely out of his depth with nothing to cling to for support, or an explanation. Ignoring what Lester was saying to Abby, Stephen concentrated on what had been said before.

"If I was able to help Abby, if what we did together saved her from the parasite, can't I do the same for Nick and Connor?"

Lester looked startled for a moment before smiling thinly. "Thankfully, you won't have to sleep with them to effect a cure this time. A simple blood donation should suffice."

"But I haven't given Abby blood, only....." Stephen found himself stopped by Lester's raised hand.

"We are quite aware of what you have, and haven't given Miss Maitland...it will be sufficient for Nick and Connor to have a sample of your blood. It will contain the same...cure...as any other bodily fluid."

Stephen read the truth in the nod from one of the medical technicians. "Then take all you need." He held out his arm, baring it to the elbow.

"Go with these med techs, they'll do the necessary." Lester waved him away, not watching Stephen walk out of the room with the two male nurses. "Now...Abby....." Before he'd said two words to the girl, she burst into tears, covering her face with her hands and leaning forward where she sat on the edge of the bunk bed. Lester hesitated a moment before sitting down beside her. "It's not that bad.....maybe a little unexpected....probably not what you planning on...a surprise?"

Abby lifted her head, blue eyes watery but amused. "Surprise? In a little over a month Stephen has been raised from the dead, I've had the best sex in my life, we've battled more creatures than you can shake a stick at...and now I'm pregnant!"

"Has been rather a busy time, hasn't it?" Lester replied dryly, a wry twinkle in his eyes. "I suppose congratulations are not really in order?"

Abby bottom lip wobbled. "Now you'll say I can't be part of the team...I'll be out of a job as well!"

Lester frowned. "I wasn't aware I was as draconian as you seemed to think. I would counsel that it would be foolhardy to risk yourself, and your child, unnecessarily in the field, but I don't see why being pregnant should prevent you taking part in anything else to do with the organization We do sometimes have perfectly benign anomaly events...rarely to be true....but sometimes."

"So I'll be desk bound for nine months.......great," Abby grumbled, well aware that she was lucky to still have anything to do with the anomaly project, the avuncular gleam in Lester's eyes giving her courage. "What about Stephen?"

"Were you planning on marrying him?"

"No..maybe....I don't know....we hardly know each other." Abby flung her arms wide. "its all been so....overwhelming."

"Do you love him?" Lester asked gently, knowing the answer already.

"Maybe....." she hedged.

"Does he love you?"

Abby turned to Lester, her eyes brimming again. "I don't know.....and even if he did....we hardly know anything about each other. He's not even...." Abby lowered her voice to a whisper. "human."

James Lester decided that the conversation had gone on long enough. "Whatever you feel about him, his blood will give us the cure for Nick and Connor. As you are both now out of quarantine, you might as well come along and see the other two." Lester rose to his feet. "We were lucky this time. Without Stephen, this wouldn't have had a happy ending. Human or clone, Stephen or not Stephen, he's still the father of the child you carry within you." Lester checked, staring at Abby for a moment. "Unless you are planning on aborting it?"

Abby looked ready to faint again. "God no! No, no, no......how could you say that." In an age old protective gesture, Abby covered her abdomen with her splayed hands.

"Sorry.....had to ask." He held out his hand to her. "Come on, lets go see how the other two are getting along."

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	13. Mixed Messages

Title: Sum of His Parts

Author: Squeezynz

Chapter: Thirteen - Mixed Messages

Rating: PG13

Pairing: Stabby

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Abby found Stephen in one of the anterooms of the hospital wing. If she didn't know it was part of a military base, she would have been none the wiser. Once they had been removed from the quarantine area, the rest of the set up was just like a small hospital with operating rooms, nurses stations and all the paraphernalia you'd expect.

She had paid a fleeing visit to Nick and Connor in the critical care ward, only able to view them through several panes of glass, before being led away by Lester back to the reception area of the laboratories. Stephen was stretched out on a raised bed, his arm hooked up to a line, his blood siphoned off to aid in the production of a cure for the parasite affecting their friends.

"Hey," Abby called softly, Stephen opening his eyes and smiling at her tiredly.

"Hey."

"They treating you okay?" she asked, coming to stand beside the bed and taking his free hand, his fingers holdings hers with a reassuringly firm grip.

"Yeah. How are Nick and Connor?"

"Hard to tell. Only saw them through a window." Abby glanced over her shoulder at James Lester standing in the doorway. "They'll be a lot better once they get some of what's in your blood serum."

Stephen nodded, his eyes sliding shut again. Lester cleared his throat and came to stand next to Abby. Stephen opened his eyes and looked steadily at Lester for a long moment before speaking. "Will my blood cure them of the parasites?"

"The parasites and pretty much anything else swimming about in their systems. Initial testing has yielded some surprising results. Maybe at long last we've found the cure for the common cold." The joke was wasted on Stephen, but Abby couldn't stop a smile curling her lips. "So lie back, and think of England."

"Why would I do that?" Stephen asked, confusion creasing his forehead.

Lester rolled his eyes and huffed. "Don't know why I bother. I'll leave you two alone. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about."

Abby waited for the sound of Lester's footsteps to fade into the distance before speaking. "Don't worry about it, he was just making a joke." She let go of Stephen's hand and started to fiddle with the edge of the sheeting, pleating the material then smoothing it out before starting all over again.

Stephen watched her actions with an air of puzzlement. "Is something wrong? What does Lester think we should talk about?"

"In his unsubtle way, he was giving us an opportunity to discuss....um...well...about me being pregnant."

"Oh."

Abby waited for something more, but Stephen remained silent.

"Oh? Is that all you can say?"

Before Stephen could speak a male nurse entered, ushering Abby to one side while he disconnected the tubing attached to Stephen's arm and prepared to remove the transfusion equipment. Abby fumed but stood back, keeping silent through the process, watching the man remove the needle and dress the small wound before gathering everything up and leaving the room. Stephen was staring down at the plaster on his arm, one finger worrying the edges. Abby approached the side of the bed again.

"Stephen?"

"Yes?"

"Are you being deliberately obtuse, or do you not understand what I'm saying?"

Stephen pursed his lips and made to sit up, the action making his head swim so that he swayed slightly, Abby automatically putting out a hand to steady him.

"We had sex, you're pregnant, it's my baby," he stated baldly, not meeting her eyes.

"In a nutshell." Abby felt as if there was no air in the room, her lungs feeling squeezed and unable to draw breath. "Aren't you a little shocked by that?"

"Not really. Isn't that what having sex, between a man and a woman, is supposed to do?" He looked up at her at last, the expression in his impossibly blue eyes making her revise what she was going to say. He looked out of his depth, confused and a little scared as well. "Did I do something wrong? I liked what we did, I thought you liked it too...."

Abby raised a hand and rubbed at her forehead. "No, you didn't do anything wrong....we didn't do anything wrong....this is just an added complication to what is an already complicated situation." She sighed, folding her arms over her chest and looking at him. "Did you know about the side effects of the Nanites in your blood?"

"I didn't know I had them to start with....they never told me anything like that at the Center."

"No, I don't suppose they would." Abby stared down at the floor. "Look.....I don't expect you to make any sort of commitment to me, or the child. It was an accident..." she stopped talking, emotions choking her, leaving her gasping. She couldn't do it, couldn't just pretend this all meant nothing to her, that being told she was pregnant was no more momentous than being told her car needed servicing.

This was huge, as huge as huge could get in her life. This was a big as discovering a Scutosaurus wandering around an English wood. Dammit, she wanted that commitment, she wanted Stephen to tell her it was all going to be alright, that she would have him by her side through it all, that she wouldn't be left to raise a child on her own, that she didn't have to be frightened for hers and their child's future. She wanted all that, but didn't know how to tell him. God, what a mess. Drawing in a shuddering breath, she raised her head and looked him straight in the eye. "We'll talk about this later, okay?"

"It'll be all right, Abby.....I promise."

Abby felt her heart skip a beat, then plastered a smile on her stiff lips. "Sure." Bolstering her flagging courage, Abby unfolded her arms and reached for his hand. "How about we go and see about something to eat? You'll need to replace all that blood they took."

Stephen gave her a searching look, before nodding and easing himself off the side of the bed. When the room didn't start to spin he squeezed her hand and they left the room, asking a passing nurse where the cafeteria was.

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Stephen watched her sip her tea, her eyes unfocussed as she stared across the room. He took another bite of his sandwich, hers largely untouched on her plate, washing it down with a swig from his own cup of luke-warm tea.

He was searching her face for any sign of the change taking place inside her, wondering if having a baby growing in a woman's womb radically altered how they looked or behaved. Reproduction had been part of the knowledge stuffed into his head, but knowing the mechanics was woeful preparation for the knowledge that the young woman sitting opposite you was actually going to have a child made up of a mix of your and her DNA.

As he munched he tried to picture what a child would look like, with his eyes and her hair, his nose and her lips. He wondered if Abby wanted it to be a boy, or a girl, not that he minded one way or the other. Staring at her bleach blond head, he suddenly realised he didn't know what its real colour was. He'd accepted, at first, that it was already natural, but after seeing her bathroom at the flat, it was obvious that she had to work at keeping it that way.

"What colour is your hair?" he asked out of the blue, startling Abby who stared at him blankly before answering.

"What on earth has that to do with anything?" Self-consciously she reached up a hand and tugged at the short strands.

"I just wondered what colour your hair really was."

Abby shifted under his intense stare and lifted her cup to take another sip. "If you must know....brown, like yours."

Stephen nodded and went back to his sandwich, leaving Abby to shoot him curious glances over the rim of her cup. The silence stretched between them, Abby once more staring off into the distance, her chin cupped in one hand, while Stephen finished his meal.

So their child would have brown hair and blue eyes, possibly a shade between his intense blue and her cornflower colour. Stephen mused that whatever the sex of the baby, it would break hearts before it could talk if it was half as good looking as its mother. Despite having no practical experience of children, he had watched the mothers at the café, that day they'd gone shopping, one woman breastfeeding at the table, while another held her child on her shoulder and rubbed circles on its back to bring up its wind. He wondered what it would be like to hold such a small creature, glancing down at his hands for a moment and imagining such a fragile, dependent, wholly vulnerable scrap of humanity being held by him.

"Can I hold it?"

Abby snapped her gaze back to him and arched an eyebrow. "Hold what?"

"Our baby. Will they let me hold it?"

She felt a jolt of electricity shoot right through her. "Do you want to?"

Stephen nodded, excitement making his eyes glitter.

"Then I don't see why not. It's your baby too," Abby answered, a warm flush spreading through her at the thought that Stephen was obviously thinking about the baby as an actuality, of him being there when it was born, of being a part of its life enough to want to hold it.

"It is...isn't it," said Stephen, his lips suddenly curling up into one of his bone melting smiles, her own lifting in an answering smile in response.

"It will be some time before you'll be able to....nine months, in fact," Abby told him.

Stephen reached across the table and took her hand. "Do you think Connor will mind having to move out?"

"Connor – move out?"

"Or will your flat be big enough for the four of us?"

"Four of us?" Abby repeated faintly. "I take it you mean to be there....with me....when the baby is born?"

Stephen frowned at her in puzzlement. "Where else would I be?"

Abby laughed nervously. "No where else....that's where I want you to be." She felt her heart give a small leap of joy. Maybe it would be all right after all.

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A week later and Nick and Connor were given the all clear, both of them glad to finally be able to leave the confines of the military hospital and return home. Lester had kept the news of Abby's condition to himself, leaving it to her and Stephen to decide when they told the others. Abby had asked Stephen to keep it to himself for a little while longer, until Nick and Connor were a hundred percent better, and he'd agreed, happy to do whatever brought a smile to her face and chased the shadows from her eyes.

On their first day free and back home, Abby suggested dinner at her place for Nick and Connor, the former patients quite happy to eat anything as long as it wasn't hospital food. Abby and Stephen had been released much earlier, returning to the ARC to file reports before being sent home by Lester to enjoy a few days of doing nothing, a squad of special ops and ARC personnel detailed to take care of any anomaly incursions in their absence.

A day spent shopping had produced a kitchen piled high with produce, and pots bubbling with enticing whiffs of exotic smells to tempt the most jaded of appetites. While Abby stayed home, Stephen went to collect Nick and Connor, Stephen filling them in on any news that they'd missed in the day or so since he and Abby had last visited the recovering pair.

"I'll be glad to be sleeping in my own bed tonight," Nick sighed, putting his hands behind his head and stretching in the passenger seat of the silver utility. Like a great many skills, Stephen had picked up driving as if he'd been doing it for years, passing the necessary tests with flying colours, and now fully licensed for a variety of vehicles, from forklifts to heavy truck and trailer units. Connor sat in the back seat and smiled happily, glad to be free of the hospital confines and out of the backless gowns he'd had to wear while recovering.

"I'll just be glad not to be woken up every two hours to have another needle stuck in me, and my temperature taken."

"Couldn't agree more, Connor....one more helping of stewed apple and muesli, and I was ready to commit murder!"

They pulled up outside Abby's flat, Stephen taking Connor's bag from out of the covered flat deck at the back of the truck, while the other two let themselves in and trooped up the winding metal staircase. Abby welcomed them both with a hug, before handing them each a glass containing their favourite drink. Nick savoured the fine malt swirling in the bottom of his glass, and smacked his lips appreciatively.

"Abby, you're a treasure. Nothing like a bloody good Scotch to make a man feel human."

Connor had flopped on the couch, taking a long pull on the bottle of chilled beer thrust into his hands. Rex flapped down and landed in his lap, preening and chirruping when Connor obliged and stroked the green reptile's head and neck. "I'm famished. What's for dinner Abs?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Help Stephen set the table, would you?"

Connor sighed theatrically but heaved himself off the couch nonetheless, helping Stephen pull out the little-used leaves on their breakfast table, to make it better suited for four. Not long after, Abby was bringing out the first of the dishes, everyone sniffing appreciatively.

"Smells wonderful, I can't wait to taste it," Nick commented, lifting the lid and dipping in to serve himself. "What is it?"

"I think I'm supposed to say something like – 'it's an old family recipe' – but it's not. One of the girls in my yoga class passed it on to the group."

"Yikes!" Connor yelped. "It's not bean curds and lentils, is it?"

"I don't care what it is, it smells divine," Nick retorted, bringing a forkful to his mouth and tasting the savoury stew. "Hmmmm....Abby....."

Connor quickly followed Nick's lead and helped himself to a generous serving, Stephen taking his turn before handing it on to Abby, who took only a small portion. The pattern was repeated with the presentation of the next casserole until Nick pushed back his plate and heaved a deep sigh.

"I'm full up. That was delicious, but I can't eat another mouthful." He eyed her own plate, noting that she wasn't exactly stuffing herself sideways, but rather pushing what little there was from one side of her plate to the other, and back again. "Not hungry?"

Abby flicked a glance over at Stephen before meeting Nick's curious gaze. "Um.....no. Not exactly."

"What's up?" Nick rested his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers, sure that there was some sort of mystery afoot. "You're not sick are you?"

"No, nothing like that," she flicked another glance at Stephen. "Actually, there's something I need to tell you."

Connor had lifted his plate as if to lick it clean, Nick casually reaching out to take it before he could, never once taking his eyes off Abby. "Go on....I'm all ears." Connor made to say something, but Nick raised a finger to silence the young man. "What is it, Abby?"

Abby pushed her chair back and stood up, her eyes darting between Connor and Nick, Stephen ignoring the tension and just sitting back, watching. "Well....you see....um....something came up when they tested me....at the military base." She had both Connor and Nick's full attention now. "It appears that when Stephen passed on his immunity to me.....um....." Nick was starting to look worried, while Connor just looked puzzled. Abby drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "The test revealed that....I mean it's really early, and there's no way I could have known....um."

"For God's sake, Abby, spit it out!" Nick half laughed to break the tension, not sure whether the news was going to good or bad.

"I'm pregnant!"

Like marionette's pulled by the same string, Nick and Connor turned their heads to look at Stephen, who smiled back at them without a hint of smugness or guile. Nick frowned and turned back to face Abby.

"Did you just say you're pregnant?"

Abby nodded, sitting down again with a thump. Nick continued to stare at her as if he didn't quite understand the meaning of the words. Connor opened and closed his mouth several times, before turning to Nick, back to Abby, then finally turning to Stephen. "Blimey....you really don't do things by halves, do you!?"

Stephen's only reply was to shrug. He turned to Abby and raised his expressive eyebrows, receiving a nod in answer to his unasked question, before rising and starting to clear the plates from the table, still without saying a word. For a long moment only the clash and clank of the dishes filled the silence, then Nick shook his head, a smile playing around his lips.

"Congratulations to the both of you." He got up and walked the short distance to where Abby sat, pulling her gently up and into a warm hug. "You had me worried there for a moment. I was thinking up all sorts of horrible possibilities...but none of them came close to this."

"You think this is horrible?" Abby pulled away, only to find herself engulfed again while Nick laughed.

"Not at all...I didn't mean it like that. I'm relieved...you have no idea how much." He held her away from him and looked at her closely, noting the lines of strain. "Is everything all right with you?"

Abby nodded. "I'm fine. Still coming to terms with it, to be honest....it kinda came out of the blue."

"I can imagine. Does Lester know?"

Abby nodded again. "He's the one who broke the news to us. I fainted."

"I would have too." Nick chuckled. He let her go to allow Connor to have his turn, the two young friends embracing tightly, Connor giving Abby a big kiss on the cheek.

"Does this make me an honorary uncle?"

Abby laughed, "I guess so....you and Nick, and probably Lester as well."

Connor leant forward to whisper in her ear. "I thought you were taking something so this didn't happen?"

"I was.....but the Nanites in Stephen's system...well....they apparently stopped it working."

Connor gave her a wry look. "Obviously." He let her go, went back to the table and dropped into one of the chairs. "This deserves a toast."

"I agree....except no alcohol for you, young lady!" Nick wagged a finger at Abby, making her laugh. Stephen had been quietly working in the background, clearing the dishes from the table, but now stood uncertainly in the doorway of the kitchen. Nick approached him and held out his hand for Stephen to shake. Stephen looked at it for a heartbeat, then took it and slowly shook Nick's hand.

"Congratulations, Stephen....I imagine this was as much a surprise to you, as anyone."

"I suppose. Abby was worried you wouldn't be pleased with the news."

"There was no need. Is Lester making things difficult for you both?"

"Abby hasn't said so. Is it likely?"

"That Lester'll cause problems? Not if I have anything to do with it. Abby's too valuable to be kicked off the program at this stage." Nick patted Stephen's shoulder, gently steering the younger man over to where Abby and Connor stood. Nick poured two glasses of Scotch before handing one to Stephen. Abby was already holding a glass of juice, while Connor had another bottle of his favourite beer in hand.

"A toast," Nick raised his glass, the others following suit, Stephen only hesitating a second before doing the same. "To Abby, who'll be the most kick arse mum any kid could ask for," Nick exclaimed, clinking his glass with Abby's and the others, before tossing it back as if it was water. Connor repeated the toast and took a long pull on his beer, while Stephen sniffed his drink before taking a sip, the face he pulled making Abby burst out laughing.

"I think Stephen would prefer something else," Abby chortled, taking the whiskey glass that Stephen held out and placing it back on the table. Nick had seen his reaction, and felt faintly scandalised that the younger man would turn his nose up at a fine malt.

"Well I'll not leave the rest then. I'll take myself off back home now and leave you good people to enjoy the rest of your evening." Nick made to leave but Abby looped her arm with his and held him back a moment.

"Connor, call a taxi for Nick....we'll wait for it outside." Then she tugged Nick along in her wake, leaving Stephen and Connor behind. Once outside she let go of Nick's arm and wrapped her own about her torso, the night air cold on her bare arms.

"I'm sorry, Nick."

"Whatever for?" Nick asked, turning to face her, his hands stuffed in his jeans pockets, the bottle of whiskey put down on the front step.

"If I'd have thought for one moment that this would have happened....."

"You still would have fallen for him, that wouldn't have changed anything."

Abby tilted her head back and stared up at the dark sky. "I've never really thought about having children before....not seriously. There was never anyone I felt.....well, there was just never anyone."

"And now there is?"

"I'm not sure Stephen even understands what it all means, not really." She threw her arms out in a frustrated gesture. "Just when I think he's coming to understand things better, something happens, something quite ordinary that you or I take completely for granted, and it throws him for a loop."

"He's very devoted to you, Abby." Nick stared off down the street. "I think you don't give him enough credit. You might be surprised just how much he does understand.....about everything."

Abby hugged herself tightly. "God, if only I didn't feel like I'd somehow taken advantage of him."

Nick laughed out loud at this. "Good Lord, Abby....he's not a child. Inside that ridiculously handsome exterior, is a fully functioning brain that has had to adapt to an extraordinary situation. I think he'll be able to handle being a father, and look at it this way......it'll be a whole new experience for both of you."

Abby nodded, smiling wryly. "There is that, I suppose. I just...."

"Have a little faith in yourself, Abby. You're a great teacher, the best, and Stephen is a quick study. He's lucky you were the first person he got to meet, and bond with."

"Not quite the first," Abby corrected, then wanted to kick herself for reminding Nick about his treacherous wife, Helen. Nick just shrugged, turning his head to squint at the headlights coming along the road towards them.

"Helen did us....did you a great favour, Abby. She returned Stephen to us.....not entirely as he was, or how we'd want him to be, but still him, for all that. It's a gift horse I'll not be looking in the mouth."

The taxi drew up beside them and Nick picked up the whisky bottle before leaning over to give Abby a kiss, his lips warm on her cold cheek. "Get yourself inside. I'll call you tomorrow. Lester is bound to want to have us all up in his office, sooner or later, to chew over everything until there's no life left in it."

Abby waved until the taxi was no more than red brake lights in the distance, then turned and entered her front door, locking it tight behind her.

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In a dark coloured car, parked only two houses down, Helen Cutter watched those same lights disappear into the distance, her eyes burning. She hadn't meant to leave it this long before checking up on her very expensive guilt trip, but circumstances had delayed her return.

She was not unduly surprised to find Stephen domiciled with the youngsters, although she would have taken bets that Nick would have taken the prodigal son under his own wing, and never let him out of his sight, but then Nick often did the opposite of what she expected. It was what kept her coming back, sometimes just to see how Nick had dealt with a situation, or what decisions he'd made to cope.

She knew that Nick, for all his desire to shoot her dead for what happened to Stephen, would probably still prefer an explanation before doing the said shooting; it was just who he was. Now, with Stephen returned to him, in a manner of speaking, it was more likely he'd bombard her with questions about how Stephen came about, than shoot her on sight. She was counting on it. But first, she needed to find out more about the current situation before she revealed herself and became once more embroiled in these peoples' ultimately insignificant lives.

She slid her seat further back, then pulled over the lap top sitting on the passenger seat. Powering it up, it searched and found an unsecured hot spot, quickly getting her online, her nimble fingers dancing over the keys as she used the codes needed to get her into the subsystem programming of the mainframe at the ARC. One of the advantages of flitting back and forth to the future, was having access to more sophisticated code breakers, the repeated attempts to block her by their resident geek making it more difficult each time she accessed the system.

After a lengthy battle with the latest crop of security protocols, she gave herself a mental pat on the back when the familiar logo appeared on the screen.

"I'm in."

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End of Sum of his Parts


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